Are you ready for the new ice period？
Americans like to add ice to their drinks to maintain the taste and cool down. In recent years, some eye-catching ice cubes have appeared in the glasses of some American restaurants and bars. What is special about them?
“Meeting friends with wine” is one of the most popular social ways for Americans, and wine culture is an indispensable part of Western culture. However, in recent years, people’s pursuit of wine tasting is no longer limited to the wine itself, and even the ice added to it has become particular. So, you may wonder, what can a small piece of ice do?
Have you ever seen ice sculptures? Pieces of crystal clear ice have different shapes, which are dreamlike and fascinating. So, what if this kind of ice appears in your wine glass?
“This piece of ice is good, it looks really beautiful.” In fact, in recent years, such ice has gradually been used in some bars and restaurants in some cities in the United States. For example, in the Hawaiian-style “Archipelago Bar” in Washington, DC, the capital.
People call it artisan ice. Joseph Ambrose is the owner of the “Archipelago Bar” and the only supplier of artisan ice in the surrounding area.
Craft ice is defined as the clear, beautiful ice you add to your drink. People don’t want to overcomplicate it; it’s still ice. And you can adjust how you cut it to fit the height of your glass. On one hand, the big cubes prevent your cocktail from being diluted too quickly. On the other hand, it adds just the right amount of garnish to your drink. It adds to the overall experience for your guests.
Americans love to drink. And to keep it cool, they love to add ice to their drinks, year-round. Guest Mindy Weisel’s cocktail was covered in a generous amount of crushed ice.
In the U.S., people have an obsession with ice. In contrast, in many countries, adding ice to drinks is uncommon.
A few machines make the ice, and a few cut and freeze it. Relatively simple. The process behind it can be a little complicated, but here’s what it’s like. “These all seem simple, but the secret of the clearness of craft ice lies here. These special ice machines work by cooling from the bottom. The water circulates and freezes at the same time. Most of the gas is released as the water flows, and the top finally becomes ice.” It takes three to four days for an ice machine to produce about 272 kilograms of large ice cubes. And each small piece of craft ice is full of “human touch”. These ice cubes are cut by hand, and compared with the general machine “spitting” ice cubes, each piece of ice here contains a piece of emotion.
The average price of a single piece of craft ice is 70 to 85 cents nationwide, but some guests are still willing to try it. They think craft ice is a perfect match with fine Scotch whiskey. If two ounces cost $25 or more, why not spend an extra dollar to make it perfect. But some guests think that craft ice should be a standard, and there is no need to spend more money on it.
Thousands of pieces are made a day during the busiest time, but craft ice currently caters to a niche market, with limited development space and low profits.
Despite this, Americans’ preference for ice…believe that a glass of ice water can refresh people and make them feel more refreshed and active, and this habit also reflects Americans’ pursuit of healthy living.
Keywords：
ice cubes、clear ice，beautiful cubes of ice，ice factory，special ice machines