Clear Ice for Cocktails

A large square ice cube resting in whiskey.

Clear Ice for Cocktails

Susannah Brinkley Henry

Up your cocktail presentation by learning how to make clear ice.

Course Drink Essentials

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 0

Freeze Time 18

Total Time 18 5

Servings large ice cubes

Calories 1kcal

Author Susannah Brinkley Henry

Ingredients

1 gallon tap water boiled water or distilled water

Instructions

Place the plastic liner inside the insulated foam box and fill it with water, about 2 inches deep, to where it will meet the bottom of the mold.
Set the mold atop the liner and fill it to the top with tap water.
Place the whole thing in the freezer for 16 to 18 hours, give or take. The exact time will depend on your freezer. (This may take a few tries to get right.)
Carefully, release the ice from the mold. Run cold water over the outside of the mold (trying not to get any on the ice) to help separate the ice from the mold.

Notes

Remove the tray before the ice on the bottom layer completely freezes for the clearest results. The bottoms may be a tiny bit uneven, but the ice will be very clear.

If you let the water freeze longer than that, a few tiny clear bubbles will form, which is still very pretty — and still much clearer than your fridge's cloudy ice!

If you have multiple trays, store them side-by-side in the freezer. Stacking them will affect the directional freezing of the lower tray.

Before adding the ice to a drink, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to help prevent cracking. This is called “tempering.”

Nutrition

Find more recipes at feastandwest.com