Step up your cocktail game with slow-melting, spherical ice.
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Using large, clear ice for your drinks makes for an elegant presentation and indicates that you might know what you’re doing regarding cocktails and top-shelf spirits. “Large ice is all about chilling a drink as much as possible while limiting dilution,” says Seth Corr, beverage director at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco.
“Spherical ice gives you the maximum chill-to-dilution ratio, as a cube has twenty-four percent more surface area than a sphere with the same volume. More surface area equals more dilution, so an ice sphere is preferred when possible,” says Corr. Translation: A perfectly sized sphere of ice means you can enjoy sipping your drink — whether an Old Fashioned or your favorite bourbon on the rocks — instead of hurrying to finish it before it becomes a watery echo of what it once was.
Bars and restaurants often turn to professional ice purveyors for a steady supply of these impressive ice shapes, but you can achieve similar results at home. We researched the best spherical ice molds to level up your next cocktail, whether served on the rocks or in a highball glass.
A mold for spherical ice that delivers a near-professional result doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive — this version is durable, straightforward, and won’t break the bank. This ice maker uses a silicone mold and an insulated cube that prevents the ice from absorbing any foreign odors from your freezer.
Simply fill the molds with water and pour off any excess, then pop it into the freezer for at least 24 hours. Once the ice is completely frozen, the silicone is easy to peel away, releasing the spheres with minimal effort. Then, you’ll have four crystal-clear ice spheres, ready to use for sipping whiskey with a few guests.
If you love the high-end feel of large ice spheres but don’t want to spend too much on bar gear, this mold might be for you. The patented funnel design makes it easy to fill each 2.5-inch sphere mold without making a mess. The bottom of the tray is made of plastic, so it maintains its structure, while the top is made of silicone, which makes it easy to release the finished ice. This particular model makes four spheres, but it also comes in a six-sphere version — either version would also make a great gift for cocktail lovers.
This ice press by Viski will delight any serious cocktail enthusiast. Instead of freezing water in a mold, this press uses weight, ambient temperature, and chunked ice to create perfectly round, 2-inch spheres within minutes. Geared toward professionals, it’s meant to shape sphered ice over and over for hours on end — the only caveat is that you’ll need to have chunks of ice ready to go. If you love to entertain and like going all out when it comes to serving drinks, this ice press will be an impressive addition to your bar cart.
W&P is known for high-quality, silicone freezer molds like this four-compartment tray that makes 2.5-inch spheres. What sets this tray apart from similar-looking sphere molds is its thick silicone material and connecting pins that allow for a nice seal and a sturdy structure. The mold is easy to fill through the top holes, even without a funnel, and a small side hole will prevent you from overfilling and making a mess. The top cover prevents ice from absorbing odors, and the entire mold is dishwasher (and oven!) safe for easy cleaning.
Sometimes, a bar setup needs options. This set offers different trays that make two styles of large ice: 2-inch spheres or 2-inch cubes. The silicone construction makes it easy to pop the ice out from their wells once frozen. However, the one thing that’s missing is a lid for the square molds to prevent odor absorption. But if you use your ice quickly enough, you won’t find it necessary. And with enough capacity to make up to a dozen large ice shapes at once, you can gear up for a get-together by making lots of ice ahead of time so you can keep the drinks flowing.
Ice molds typically come in two materials, plastic or silicone (or even a combination of the two). While plastic is great for keeping a tray rigid, it often doesn’t create a tight enough seal for a spherical mold. Silicone is a superior choice since it can create a leak-proof seal and is usually pretty easy to manipulate when it comes time to remove your ice from the molds. Be sure your silicone mold is made of thick material so it maintains its structure as the ice hardens.
At a minimum, your ice sphere should be about 2 inches in diameter. This size melts slowly enough so that it won’t over-dilute your alcohol and fits comfortably into most Old Fashioned glasses.
“Spherical ice, in contrast to cubed ice, has less surface [area] but the same amount of volume, which translates to less dilution,” says Jonathan Nunez, Beverage Director at Sugar Palm in Santa Monica, CA. This slower dilution rate allows the drink to hold its initial potency longer instead of becoming watered down.
“Sphere ice molds work the same way any other ice mold does, but they typically have a top and a bottom piece that connect to make the spherical shape,” says Corr. “The two pieces then detach to remove the spherical ice.”
“The trick is finding an ice mold with a deep basin and Styrofoam insulation,” says Nunez. “These two factors allow for directional freezing — from the top to the bottom — and prevent water from freezing in all directions, making ice cloudy with minerals and bubbles.”
“To keep them from cracking, you need to temp them before you make your drink,” says Gordon Bellaver of Penny Pound Ice, a Los Angeles-based ice supplier. “If you add room-temperature alcohol to ice straight from the freezer, the ice goes through thermal shock and cracks.” He suggests letting your ice warm up before you add the alcohol by letting it sit out in the glass for a minute or two (the ice will have a wetter surface). Then, drain any excess water before adding your drink.
Bernadette Machard de Gramont is an LA-based freelance writer specializing in food, wine, and kitchen products. After a two-year stint at Williams Sonoma headquarters in San Francisco, she now researches and tests a variety of cookware, bakeware, and wine tools, and interviews field experts for their insight.
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