Have you ever wondered if clear ice is better, or which ice cubes are best to serve in your drinks?
We've all made ice cubes from tap water before. It's quick, easy, and cheap, and it serves its purpose of chilling your drinks. However, if you care about the quality and presentation of your drinks, you probably observed that tap water ice cubes from a tray are white and cloudy, especially in the middle.
We're guessing you've also come across the transparent, clear ice cubes in cocktail bars or while browsing your Instagram feed. These are large and unbelievably clear, like these:
Why Are Some Ice Cubes Cloudy While Others Are Clear?
To determine what ice is better for the perfect serve, you need to first understand what exactly the difference is.
What causes cloudy ice?
Cloudy ice cubes come out with an opaque appearance for many reasons. Water impurities are the most common reason. In this case, the cloudy ice could be caused by contaminants like minerals, tannins and many other dissolved solids.
Let’s dig a little deeper…
The science behind cloudy ice
Ice that comes out of an ice machine or ice tray is usually white or cloudy in the middle. The reason why this happens comes down to science - when we put the ice in a tray or mould, the water is surrounded by icy-cold air, causing the ice cubes to freeze from the outside in. The first thing to freeze is the purest water, this then forces the air bubbles and potential impurities towards the middle of the ice cube and freezes last, giving the ice cube a cloudy appearance.
What is clear ice?
Clear ice, also known as large ice, craft ice, or artisan ice, is exactly what the name suggests. The ice has almost the same characteristics as a diamond, it's crystal clear, and without any hint of cloudiness.
How to make clear ice?
Generally speaking, clear ice cubes are made in a commercial ice machine. Usually, these machines will circulate the cleanest, purest water over a plate or grid that is below freezing temperatures across several days. This allows the ice to freeze from the inside out or one layer at a time, creating clear, transparent, and uniformly shaped ice.
Once this process is completed you will have raw ice blocks which can then be hand-cut into your desired shape and size, then packed and stored in the freezer.
What are the benefits of using Clear Ice?
Other than the diamond-like clarity and level of class it brings, clear ice has many more benefits than cloudy ice.
The main benefit of clear ice is that it is free from any pollutants or impurities because the filtration and freezing process removes any minerals or air bubbles that may be present. Ultimately, clear ice tastes better than cloudy ice. Clear ice cubes or ice balls will also thaw more slowly and evenly whereas cloudy ice that contains air pockets will thaw more quickly, leaving your drinks diluted and watered down much faster than those made with clear ice. Sometimes cloudy ice may carry bad odours due to the presence of impurities in tap water. Clear ice offers odour free results due to the ice being made from only the purest water.
5 benefits of choosing clear ice over regular cloudy ice:
Clear melts slower - due to the density of the ice and the fact it contains the purest of water with no air or impurities, it can maintain a lower temperature for longer than regular ice. As a result, it keeps any drink cooler for longer and will not dilute your drink.
Clear ice tastes better - Clear ice is made of pure water and includes neither air, impurities, nor odours. It also enhances and maintains taste integrity.
Clear ice is healthier - Because this ice is lacking impurities and air, it is far healthier to consume than cloudy ice.
Clear ice creates less fizz - when water freezes around those air bubbles, the cloudy ice holds a lot of extra oxygen. When a carbonated drink like your favourite soda hits the ice, it will react with these gases causing an explosion of fizz. Crystal clear ice does not have this reaction.
Clear ice looks so much cooler - trying to impress your customers or guests, clear ice will have you doing just that. Clear ice cubes and ice balls have a greater visual impact compared to regular ice. Ultimately, the crystal clear diamond-like quality brings any drinking experience to the next level.
So now, we have dived into what clear and cloudy ice is. Next time you notice a beautiful piece of clear ice in your drink or cooler, you’ll be in the know…
Based on all these differences and factors between the two, it’s assumed that it is only the clear ice that can be crowned and named as the best for your cocktails and drinking experience.
Why choose Ice Club's Diamond Collection clear ice
Clear ice is becoming the standard requirement in high-end bars and restaurants because the results are undeniable and look great, and more and more people are bringing this luxury home, allowing this excellent experience to never end! As one of our customers said, 'it's like drinking at the finest cocktail bars' - from the comfort of your own living room.
Luxury drinks deserve luxury clear ice
Why invest in luxury spirits only to lower the aesthetic experience and flavour profile with standard ice?
True connoisseurs understand that clear, diamond-quality ice is a crucial part of their high-end drinking experience.
Our artful, hand-crafted ice is slowly melting and UV-filtered to enable the purest intended flavour of quality spirits. The crystal clear diamond-like quality brings any cocktail experience to the next level, including a variety of shapes to create the perfect contact surface, in conversation with mixologists.
We believe that every luxury drink deserves luxury handcrafted ice.
Although creating ice at home can be easy and cheap, it's often an afterthought. If you're aiming for clear results, this can be time-consuming and even hours of work may not bring the desired clarity… Ice Club’s collection clear ice prides itself on the attention to detail by purifying the water over several days using only UV-filtered water that allows any minerals and air bubbles to be eliminated. We are then left with crystal clear ice that is artful, hand-crafted, and slow-melting, to enable the purest intended flavour of quality spirits and drinks. This is all done for you, with no time taken away from your drinking experience! And what's more, it's delivered straight to your freezer.
If you believe in adding diamond quality experiences to your everyday life, head to our online shop for more information. Why not try out our Clear Ice Discovery Pack today to bring your drinking experiences to a whole new level?
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