Cocktail Atlas

Ingredient

Ice

Ice does two jobs: it chills the drink and it adds water. Both are part of the recipe, so the kind of ice matters.

How much

Shake or stir with a full tin or mixing glass of ice; more ice chills faster with less melting than a few cubes.

Types of ice

  1. Cubes (about 1 inch) are the all-purpose ice for shaking, stirring and most drinks served over ice.
  2. Large cubes or spheres melt slowly, so a spirit-forward drink like an Old Fashioned stays cold without getting watery.
  3. Crushed or cracked ice chills very fast and dilutes quickly; it is used for juleps and other drinks meant to be icy.
  4. Always serve over fresh ice, never the ice the drink was shaken with, which is already broken and melting.

Storage

Ice picks up freezer smells. Freeze it in covered trays and replace it every week or two.

Notes

  • Stirred drinks usually take 20 to 30 seconds of stirring; shaken drinks 10 to 15 seconds of hard shaking.
  • Crush ice by wrapping cubes in a clean towel and hitting them with a rolling pin or mallet.
  • Filtered water makes clearer, better-tasting ice.

Crushed or cracked ice

Served up (chilled with ice, strained into an empty glass)

Over cubes

Other ingredients