ice ice baby

Ice isn't just cool, its an integral part of the alchemy of mixing cocktails

Ice isn't just an afterthought; it's integral to a good cocktail. In the first instance, it chills the ingredients, enhancing the flavours and textures and ensuring the drink is served at optimal temperature. It's also key for creating the right dilution and is an important part of the appearance of the finished cocktail. No-one wants a negroni or G&T with a couple of sad little ice cubes melting away in the bottom of the glass.

Different types of ice

The Standard Cube

For most of us, the standard ice cube is the starting point whether it comes from a tray or the ice machine in our freezers. If that's all you can get hold of, that's fine but make sure you use a lot when you're mixing or serving. It sounds obvious but more ice will keep the drink colder for longer and prevent it from becoming too diluted.

Crushed Ice

Certain cocktails call for crushed ice, think juleps, mojitos and frozen daiquiris. The simplest way to crush ice is to wrap some cubes in a clean tea towel and give them a good bash with a rolling pin. A blender can be a good alternative if you have one.

Big Cubes

These big boys are slow melting and are perfect for drinks served on the rocks like negronis or old fashioneds. Because they're slower to melt, they prevent the drink becoming too diluted. You can buy basic silicone moulds but if you want to up your big ice game, read on.

How to create crystal clear ice

For ages, we've been hankering after crystal clear ice but the process has eluded us. When you make ice cubes in a standard mould they often look cloudy and it's a common misconception that this is due to the type of water used. We spent a long time experimenting with boiled and filtered water but the results were frustratingly the same.

You can buy fancy ice online but it's expensive and you can create your own crystal clear ice at home with relatively little effort. First, though, you need to understand the science and something called directional freezing.

It's actually to do with the process of freezing, something we discovered only recently thanks to The Connaught's Head of Mixology Ago Perrone; his BBC Maestro course has as whole lesson on ice and he was kind enough to talk me through it when I popped into The Connaught for a martini earlier this year.

With a standard mould, the freezing process happens from the outside in, pushing any impurities into the centre of the ice and creating that cloudy look. In order to create clear ice, you need a mould that's insulated on three sides. This ensures the freezing process happens from the top down and as each layer freezes, the impurities are pressed down to the bottom of the container.

When you're ready to serve, take the ice out of the freezer and allow it to soften for a bit.  Once you take it out of the container, you'll see a cloudy white layer that has formed on the bottom but when you chip this off you'll be left with a block of crystal clear ice.

Of course you then need to be confident enough to cut your large block of ice into chunks or cubes but if your Japanese ice machete skills (it's a thing, honest) aren't quite up to standard, there is an alternative - insulated individual ice cube moulds.

We've been very impressed with this one from Amazon which makes lovely large cubes

And if you really can't be bothered then buy yourself a block from these guys.