Clear Ice Anyone?

[Tomo]

Is anyone else into making their own clear ice?

I recently branched out from beer to see what else was out there. This lead me to spirits, mixers, simple cocktails and clear ice.

Another example of something I never knew was a thing before becoming obsessed with. Is anyone else into this? What’s your method?

 

[Whisky]

I’ve tried many methods over the last 5-6 years with limited success. I recently found a company called Wintersmiths that makes ice moulds. I have their large sphere and small cube molds. They work amazingly well using tap water. I use filtered water just to remove any taste from the ice. I’ll take a pic tonight. What’s your method?

 

[Tomo]

I messed around for a while but settled on big slabs of clear ice.

I fill a hard shell cooler with tap water, put it in a soft shell cooler and put the whole thing in the freezer for 36 hours.

I then harvest the top three inches of clear ice. I break the odds and end of and put the slab in a big pan to flatten off the top and bottom.

This flat slab is right on freezing so I put it back in the freezer to cool down. Once it’s cold (minus 20C) I cut it into cubes using a big serrated knife and a wooden rolling pin to hit the back
Of the knife. The Ice cracks cleaner when cold.

I could probably get better at cutting it and might employ a hack saw and rubber mallet. I’ve seen the boys on site cut bricks by scoring an edge and hitting them with the scored edge lined up on the edge of a support. Seems to work well with bricks probably ice too.

I know it doesn’t work any better but the clear ice looks amazing.

 

[Whisky]

Here’s one of my ice spheres. I tried the cooler/slab ice method and it works great, I just never have enough room in my freezer for a cooler. Look on YouTube for people forming ice balls from a slab of ice, pretty impressive.

 

[The Knize]

I really love having clear ice, too. I have done the cooler technique and it worked okay, but having space in the freezer is a problem.

There is a convenience-type store that has a lot of ice, including dry ice, and bags of ice in various configurations--shout out to Talbot's on River Road in Bethesda, MD, the world would be a poorer, meaner place without you!--that sells I think they are 25 lb blocks of crystal clear ice for about $17. They may have larger pieces, too, and I think people who do ice sculptures for weddings and the like are frequent customers for them. I get a 25 lb block and cut or break it up into smaller pieced one way or another. I have tried serrated knifes and heavy knives in conjunction with a big rubber hammer, and I bought a stiff backed saw I thought would be good, but nothing has proven all that easy, regardless of what the You Tube videos purport to show. I have pretty much settled on chipping the block apart into inconsistently shaped pieces with a three pointed ice pick, and an not too unhappy with that approach. I suppose a band saw would be nice!

I agree that it can be an obsession! I really feel better when my cocktails have high quality crystal clear ice in them. Very nice to have a Tom Collins in a high ball glass with a long clear piece of ice the length of from top to bottom. I think clear ice melts slower, too. But really all rocks cocktails look great with clear ice. Classy!

 

[luvmysuper]

My understanding was that cloudy ice is from dissolved air in the water.
In resin molding, a vacuum chamber pulls air out of the resin mix.
Could you fill your ice mold and vacuum all entrained air before freezing?
Vacuum chambers can be made on the cheap.

 

[The Knize]

Good question. Phil. I have no idea.

 

[Bhugo]

Sounds like a lot of trouble for clear ice. You boys should try boiling the water for a few minutes before you freeze it. It makes much clearer ice than just freezing tap water. Let it cool before freezing. I have done this before, but don’t usually worry about it.

 

[luvmysuper]

Sounds like a lot of trouble for clear ice. You boys should try boiling the water for a few minutes before you freeze it. It makes much clearer ice than just freezing tap water. Let it cool before freezing. I have done this before, but don’t usually worry about it.

I've heard that as well. Reduces entrained air.

 

[Bhugo]

I really love having clear ice, too. I have done the cooler technique and it worked okay, but having space in the freezer is a problem.

There is a convenience-type store that has a lot of ice, including dry ice, and bags of ice in various configurations--shout out to Talbot's on River Road in Bethesda, MD, the world would be a poorer, meaner place without you!--that sells I think they are 25 lb blocks of crystal clear ice for about $17. They may have larger pieces, too, and I think people who do ice sculptures for weddings and the like are frequent customers for them. I get a 25 lb block and cut or break it up into smaller pieced one way or another. I have tried serrated knifes and heavy knives in conjunction with a big rubber hammer, and I bought a stiff backed saw I thought would be good, but nothing has proven all that easy, regardless of what the You Tube videos purport to show. I have pretty much settled on chipping the block apart into inconsistently shaped pieces with a three pointed ice pick, and an not too unhappy with that approach. I suppose a band saw would be nice!

I agree that it can be an obsession! I really feel better when my cocktails have high quality crystal clear ice in them. Very nice to have a Tom Collins in a high ball glass with a long clear piece of ice the length of from top to bottom. I think clear ice melts slower, too. But really all rocks cocktails look great with clear ice. Classy!

Have you tried leaving the block sit out for 30-40 minutes before chopping?

 

[luvmysuper]

Clear ice requires
1. The absence of entrained air
2. The absence of clouding minerals

How about boil distilled water?
Distilled water is mineral free, and boiling it removes entrained air.

There's more to clear ice than just aesthetics, clear ice is harder and therefore lasts longer.

The distilled water might have the benefit of not imparting any taste to your cocktail.

 

[Whisky]

I’ve tried boiling distilled water. It is clearer than tap water but not clear. The only thing that I’ve found that really works is directional freezing. The ice has to freeze from one direction (think top to bottom). As it freezes it pushes air and impurities out in front of it. As long as the ice freezes from all directions at once like in an ice tray it will trap air and impurities in the ice.

 

[Bhugo]

I’ve tried boiling distilled water. It is clearer than tap water but not clear. The only thing that I’ve found that really works is directional freezing. The ice has to freeze from one direction (think top to bottom). As it freezes it pushes air and impurities out in front of it. As long as the ice freezes from all directions as once like in an ice tray it will trap air and impurities in the ice.

Yes, there is a spot in the middle of each cube that isn’t clear. Nonetheless, it has the advantages that @luvmysuper mentioned without having to find room for a cooler in the freezer. That just isn’t happening at my house. Plus, you don’t have to cut the ice up…

 

[Whisky]

Yes, there is a spot in the middle of each cube that isn’t clear. Nonetheless, it has the advantages that @luvmysuper mentioned without having to find room for a cooler in the freezer. That just isn’t happening at my house. Plus, you don’t have to cut the ice up…

I have the same issues with freezer space. I bought one of these and it works great. Large clear cubes. I freeze 3-4 batches and store them in plastic bags. I also have a larger setup that does large ice spheres but takes up more room in the freezer.

 

[jesseix]

I'll be honest, I've had several ice molds in my freezer for years (round ones and medium/large squares that I used filtered water for), and this whole time I had no idea it was called 'clear ice'... learn something new every day!

 

[DukeNDuke]

I love clear ice in my bourbon. I use the same method as @Tomo . I agree with @Whisky .....directional freezing is the key. I'm enjoying my ice right now as I type this.....

 

[njpaddy]

No matter how old, I learn something new every day at B&B. I had no idea there was such a thing. I can taste a difference in my G&Ts this year, after moving from our house (of 19 years) with well water ice to an apartment with city water ice, but only with the first 2-3. After that it doesn't matter.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Clear ice requires
1. The absence of entrained air
2. The absence of clouding minerals

How about boil distilled water?
Distilled water is mineral free, and boiling it removes entrained air.

There's more to clear ice than just aesthetics, clear ice is harder and therefore lasts longer.

The distilled water might have the benefit of not imparting any taste to your cocktail.

Phil:
We also use distilled water...we just fill-up our standard ice trays & freeze.

"He who cannot put his [libations] on ice should not enter into the heat of [spirits]". Friedrich Nietzsche

 

[DukeNDuke]

OK gentlemen, here's how it's done (or how I do it anyway)
1. Fill lunch cooler with water and freeze until approximately 2 inches thick. This forces directional freezing from the top down.
2. Remove block from cooler and shape into slab.
3. Score slab with a serrated knife into desired size. (I do 12 cubes)
4. Place knife in score line and tap knife spine with a heavy object (i use a soup can) causing ice to fracture along the line.
5. Repeat cutting process until done.
6. Store in a freezer bag.
7. Enjoy your next cocktail!

The process in pictures.........

 

[bobmsp]

OK gentlemen, here's how it's done (or how I do it anyway)
1. Fill lunch cooler with water and freeze until approximately 2 inches thick. This forces directional freezing from the top down.
2. Remove block from cooler and shape into slab.
3. Score slab with a serrated knife into desired size. (I do 12 cubes)
4. Place knife in score line and tap knife spine with a heavy object (i use a soup can) causing ice to fracture along the line.
5. Repeat cutting process until done.
6. Store in a freezer bag.
7. Enjoy your next cocktail!

The process in pictures.........
View attachment 1292146View attachment 1292147View attachment 1292148View attachment 1292149View attachment 1292150View attachment 1292151View attachment 1292152

Thanks for the pict and instructions Ron. About how much freezer time is required to get to 2” thick? Is it pretty easy to eyeball the thickness?