How to make clear ice at home
Discussion
I have recently got into cocktail making, and hated the fact that my ice always meant that the cocktail looked like s
t. I set about learning about ice and how to make it clear at home.
Finally cracked it. I watched and tried nearly all the methods on YouTube, none of which quite worked. So my method uses a combo of a few of them based on my limited understanding of the science behind it. Here is my method:
Materials needed:
Mini cool box like this with the lid removed - Coleman Cool Box - you will need to take the lid off (it pops out if you just gently pull it off).
Silicone ice block tray with a hole drilled in the bottom of each form - I am using an HIC Big Ice block that my sister sent me from America but they are £60 on amazon UK, so I have found this Ice Block Tray which will work. When I say you need a hole in the bottom of each form, you need to get a drill or something which will make a nice neat hole, which water can flow out of. Sounds bizarre but i'll get to it in a bit.
Something to raise the ice tray up about an inch off the bottom of the cool box. I use a small plastic plinth.
Freezer large enough for the small cool box to go in.
Explanation:
In essence what you are trying to achieve is directional freezing of the water, in order for the last part of the water to freeze to be at the bottom of the container. When water freezes, the reason it goes cloudy is that during the last stage of the freezing process, impurities or gas (don't quote me on it as I don't know what it is) get pushed out and have nowhere to go, and therefore make the ice cloudy.
Therefore, if you can make the ice freeze from one direction, and that direction being from the top, the water will freeze leaving the impurities at the bottom of the block, or, unfrozen, leaving you with nice clear ice.
Method:
Remove lid from cool box
Place plinth in bottom of cool box
Place ice tray with holes in on plinth
Fill whole thing with water to the level of the top of the ice tray
Freeze for 24 hours (takes ages)
Remove from freezer
Try to remove keeping the ice surrounding the ice tray for use in highball glasses.
The holes allow the water to carry on freezing and push out the impurities through the holes and out of the forming ice. You will find that often the area underneath the ice blocks has not frozen so careful when removing it as it spills everywhere.
These ice blocks are great for anything like an old fashioned, vieux carré, etc...
My next purchase will be long forms for highball glasses. As said previously, the long pieces of clear ice which surround the ice tray in the cool box when you take it from the freezer are great (if you just run them under the tap to make them thinner) in highball glasses.
I hope it all makes sense!
Results:
In the tray - as you can see, if you are careful you can break the edges off and use them for long drinks.
Will post a few more pics when I find them of the ice in the glass.
t. I set about learning about ice and how to make it clear at home. Finally cracked it. I watched and tried nearly all the methods on YouTube, none of which quite worked. So my method uses a combo of a few of them based on my limited understanding of the science behind it. Here is my method:
Materials needed:
Mini cool box like this with the lid removed - Coleman Cool Box - you will need to take the lid off (it pops out if you just gently pull it off).
Silicone ice block tray with a hole drilled in the bottom of each form - I am using an HIC Big Ice block that my sister sent me from America but they are £60 on amazon UK, so I have found this Ice Block Tray which will work. When I say you need a hole in the bottom of each form, you need to get a drill or something which will make a nice neat hole, which water can flow out of. Sounds bizarre but i'll get to it in a bit.
Something to raise the ice tray up about an inch off the bottom of the cool box. I use a small plastic plinth.
Freezer large enough for the small cool box to go in.
Explanation:
In essence what you are trying to achieve is directional freezing of the water, in order for the last part of the water to freeze to be at the bottom of the container. When water freezes, the reason it goes cloudy is that during the last stage of the freezing process, impurities or gas (don't quote me on it as I don't know what it is) get pushed out and have nowhere to go, and therefore make the ice cloudy.
Therefore, if you can make the ice freeze from one direction, and that direction being from the top, the water will freeze leaving the impurities at the bottom of the block, or, unfrozen, leaving you with nice clear ice.
Method:
Remove lid from cool box
Place plinth in bottom of cool box
Place ice tray with holes in on plinth
Fill whole thing with water to the level of the top of the ice tray
Freeze for 24 hours (takes ages)
Remove from freezer
Try to remove keeping the ice surrounding the ice tray for use in highball glasses.
The holes allow the water to carry on freezing and push out the impurities through the holes and out of the forming ice. You will find that often the area underneath the ice blocks has not frozen so careful when removing it as it spills everywhere.
These ice blocks are great for anything like an old fashioned, vieux carré, etc...
My next purchase will be long forms for highball glasses. As said previously, the long pieces of clear ice which surround the ice tray in the cool box when you take it from the freezer are great (if you just run them under the tap to make them thinner) in highball glasses.
I hope it all makes sense!
Results:
In the tray - as you can see, if you are careful you can break the edges off and use them for long drinks.
Will post a few more pics when I find them of the ice in the glass.
WindyCommon said:
Interesting. Thank you.
Maybe I have misunderstood something, but why do you need the coolbox?
Might an uninsulated container work just as well?
The coolbox means it freezes only from the top, meaning the stuff that normally makes it white is pushed to the bottom when freezing. Maybe I have misunderstood something, but why do you need the coolbox?
Might an uninsulated container work just as well?
kev b said:
Sorry the boiled water turned out to be a myth.
This won't help at all but when you see perfectly clear ice cubes in films they use clear plastic instead.
Haha! I never knew that! Well at least now you can have real clear ice in your drinks! This won't help at all but when you see perfectly clear ice cubes in films they use clear plastic instead.
I'm quite sure the whiskey is also apple juice...
DoubleSix said:
And yet I doubt my local cocktail bar are going to this faff...
Probably not https://www.icemachinesplus.com/blog/post/how-do-i...Having received an amazing shaker for xmas I also looked into this, but cheated slightly and just bought a few of these
http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
shirt said:
Having received an amazing shaker for xmas I also looked into this, but cheated slightly and just bought a few of these
http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
Well blow me, that is awesome.http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
bulldong said:
shirt said:
Having received an amazing shaker for xmas I also looked into this, but cheated slightly and just bought a few of these
http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
Well blow me, that is awesome.http://m.crateandbarrel.com/rabbit-clear-ice-mold/...
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