While the business of our kitchen is
making food hot, our bar's focus is keeping drinks cool. Ice is almost a
universal ingredient for most drinks because it does so much for the flavor of
the drink.
Drinks that don't go with ice may be prepared with ice to bring the
temperature down and keep the flavors of the alcohol more intact. On the other hand, it sounds blasphemous,
but you want to dilute your drink.
A properly diluted drink has balance.
Flavors seem to hit your palate with ease and a larger spectrum of flavors can
be experienced.
Lifehacker simply named one of their articles, "Make
better ice for better cocktails," which is true. Many people can taste the
different flavors in water (even though they are all supposedly neutral), which
is something to pay attention to with the ice you use in your drinks! Filtered
or distilled water is best to transfer the crisp taste of water into your
drink.
Likewise, the size and shape of your cubes will determine the speed that
your drinks will cool, how easy they will melt, and how much that will distill
your drink. You can play with different types of ice trays to see how they
transform your drink and for added fun, play with infused ice, and subtly play
with the flavors of your drinks!
photo credit: Kyle May via photopin cc
