Keeping it Chill: Ice Hacks to Instantly Elevate Your Cocktail Game

This article is a part of Classic Summer Drinks Week, a week of content celebrating the arrival of summer. With its tank-top weather and long days, Summer can be one of the best seasons of the year. However, the scorching heat can make it tough to spend your days outside — even if you want to bathe in the sunlight before the cooler months confine you to the indoors. A refreshing, ice-cold drink can be of great assistance when it comes to bearing the sun rays. That’s why, from July 7–11, we’re celebrating Classic Summer Drinks Week with a series of recipes, recommendations, tips & tricks to help you beat the heat. Check out more Classic Summer Drinks Week content here!

If you’re still filling plastic trays with tap water and calling it a day, it’s time to rethink your ice strategy. Ice isn’t just filler — it’s an ingredient. Ice is an integral part of cocktails; the shape, size, flavor and even appearance of your ice can make or break a drink, especially when it comes to cocktails that rely on precision and presentation. Whether you’re hosting a summer soirée or just want to sip something beautiful on your own, these easy cocktail ice hacks will instantly elevate your drinks.

How to Make Clear Ice at Home 

Clear ice cubes not only look stunning but melt slower to keep your cocktails balanced. (Photo: Pexels/cottonbro studio)

Crystal-clear ice is achievable at home; it just takes time and a little know-how. The reason ice made at home isn’t clear is because standard freezers cool from all directions equally, which doesn’t push the impurities and bubbles out, leaving the ice cloudy. The minerals and impurities in tap water can contribute, as well. However, these issues can easily be fixed without having to buy a fancy freezer or special water.

First, use boiled or distilled water. Boiling or distilling water removes dissolved gases and minerals, but this alone doesn’t always produce clear ice.

The most important part of making clear ice is to push the impurities out by directional freezing. Freezing from all directions equally pushes those foggy-looking gases and minerals into the center. The best way to prevent this from occurring is to use an insulated container like a small cooler or tumbler to freeze your ice. Insulated containers ensure that the ice is formed slowly and from one direction to another, which results in crystal clear ice. 

To try directional freezing at home, follow these steps:

1. Use a small cooler or tumbler that fits in your freezer.
2. Fill it with water: Tap is fine, but distilled or boiled works best. Leave the lid off.
3. Place it in your freezer — uncovered. The water will freeze from the top down, slowly pushing air bubbles and impurities to the bottom
4. After 24–30 hours, remove the cooler. The top portion will be clear. Use a knife to cut off any cloudy ice from the bottom.

Spheres, Crushed and Beyond: Choose Your Shape Wisely

Ice isn’t just for chilling — it also dilutes, balances, and completes a well-crafted cocktail. (Photo: Unsplash/Michael Odelberth)

Not all ice is created equal. The right shape depends on your drink:

• Large Cubes or Spheres: Best for stirred drinks like an Old Fashioned or Negroni. They melt slowly and keep dilution in check. Simply freeze in a silicone mold like the ones seen here or here.
• Crushed Ice: Used for tiki drinks, juleps or any cocktail served in a tall glass. It dilutes faster, which works well with boozy, concentrated recipes. You don’t need fancy equipment; a cloth bag and mallet can work wonders.
• Collins Spears: Long, narrow cubes made for highball glasses. They look sleek, keep your fizz intact and fit in the slender glasses perfectly. Look for a specific mold like this one.

Flavor-Infused Ice Cubes: Not Just for Looks

Flavor-infused cubes not only keep your cocktail cold but deepen the flavor as they melt. Here’s how to get creative:

• Coffee Ice: Pour room-temperature coffee (sweetened to your liking) into an ice mold and make the best ice for an Espresso Martini on the rocks or a White Russian that gets tastier as you drink.
• Juice Ice: Freeze your favorite juice into ice to make a fruity explosion of flavor. Use orange juice to make your mimosa incredible or cranberry juice for vodka sodas with a touch of tartness. There’s no limit to the combinations you can try. 
• Tea Ice: Brew up a batch of hibiscus, earl grey or green tea, freeze and pop into cocktails for subtle complexity — perfect for whiskey- or vodka-based drinks.

Frozen Garnish Cubes: Flavor Meets Flair

Edible flowers frozen in clear cubes create elegant, Instagram-worthy garnishes for cocktails. (Photo: Pexels/cottonbro studio)

• Herbal Ice: Muddle mint, basil or rosemary into water before freezing. Ideal for mojitos, juleps or herbal highballs.
• Floral Ice: Freeze edible flowers like food-grade lavender, chamomile or roses in clear ice for an Instagram-worthy cocktail. Perfect for gin and tonics and vodka lemonades. This ice isn’t just pretty; it lends a subtle aroma that elevates the entire drinking experience.
• Fruit or Spice: Both visually appealing and flavor enhancing fruit or spice can make everything nice. Make spicy margaritas hotter and colder at the same time with jalapeño ice or up your Tom Collins with elegant ice laced with cucumber ribbons. The possibilities are endless — just take any fruit and freeze in an ice tray with water. 
• Frozen Fruit: A great alternative to fruit infused ice if you want to chill a drink and give it flavor without much dilution. Perfect for sangrias and spritzes.

Take any of these garnish-style ice cubes and make them even better by combining them together or mixing with juice to make interesting combinations. Freeze pineapple juice with jalapeño slices for a tropical take or combine mint and strawberries for a sweet variation on a mojito. Whatever your flavor combo, these ice infusions will be sure to cool you off even in a heatwave. 

 Quick Chill Tricks

• Salt + Ice Water Bath: In a hurry to chill a canned cocktail or beer? Fill a large bowl or cooler with ice and cold water then add a handful of salt and submerge your cans fully to chill in 15 minutes or less. The salt lowers the freezing point, which makes the water get colder faster. 
• Wrap in a Wet Paper Towel + Freeze: Wrap a can in a damp paper towel and place it in the freezer. Chill for 10–15 minutes. Be sure to set a timer to prevent the can from bursting in the freezer. When liquid freezes, it expands — and the pressure can cause a messy explosion in a freezer.

Ice is the unsung hero of cocktails and serves multiple purposes for cocktails. First and foremost, ice chills your beverage which helps improve our perception of flavor and enjoyability. Second, ice dilutes drinks to make them both more palatable and easier to drink with an appropriate ABV. Think about drinking a room temp mai tai or mojito — it just doesn’t hit the same.

Ice doesn’t cheat people of alcohol, but rather makes the alcohol more pleasing to drink. Bartenders create recipes with standard pours and choose glassware tailor-made to fit the drink and the ice — which means the amount of alcohol doesn’t change if you ask for no ice. While TikTok trends may suggest otherwise, bartenders design drinks with ice in mind, so don’t try a neat order in the hopes of getting more booze for your buck.

Want more home bartending tricks?

Check out our guides for making your own oleo saccharum, fat washed spirits or the perfect daiquiri.