Sponsored by Hoshizaki
Of all the facets of a successful cocktail program, one of the most important is the ice that enhances and embellishes the drinks. Even the finest spirits, juices, garnishes and glassware will go for naught if the ice is an afterthought.
For some years bartenders have understood the key role ice plays in cocktails that are eye-catching, flavorful and profitable. That may be more important than ever now because restoring restaurant sales to pre-pandemic levels depends on bringing customers back to their dining haunts and habits.
Serving an attractively presented old fashioned or Negroni on the rocks, or a pour of top-shelf spirits over a single, large, showpiece cube can make a lasting impression. What’s more, maximizing the profit contribution of the bar is vital for making up for the shortfalls that restaurant coffers have suffered.
Bold and dramatic
At Curious Kitchen and Bar in Senoia, Georgia, showstopping 2-inch-square ice cubes are wowing craft cocktail fans. “Ice is a crucial ingredient,” says Matt Berger, manager at Curious Kitchen and Bar. “It is essential not only for chilling but also for achieving the proper dilution of drinks. You will not get the flavor you want if you over-dilute or under-dilute.”
However, as Berger observes, a single large cube in a cocktail contains less total surface area than several smaller cubes, hence a slower dilution rate and a tastier drink. Curious Kitchen and Bar is one of the first establishments in the country to use a brand new ice machine introduced this year by Hoshizaki America that makes bold, dramatic 2-inch by 2-inch cubes. Hoshizaki's undercounter 2by2 Cube Ice Machine, the first of its kind in the industry, received a 2021 Kitchen Innovations Award by the National Restaurant Association.
Pretty in Pink, Berger’s best-selling cocktail, combines honeysuckle vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon and cranberry-mint syrup, garnished with fresh mint and served with a 2by2 cube. Berger notes the clarity of the ice and the cube’s sharp, clean edges. “It sits perfectly in a double rocks glass or in any fully built cocktail or with a pour of bourbon,” says Berger.
Specialty ice from a commercial ice machine has advantages over the do-it-yourself ice bartenders make by sawing or chipping blocks of ice or freezing water in molds. The labor, mess and inconsistency of DIY ice, and the high cost of buying vendor-made ice, explain why many successful cocktail programs rely on consistent, high-performing ice machines. In fact, one study by Hoshizaki America found on average that making or buying ice was 44% more expensive than using a Hoshizaki 2by2 cube ice.
The sphere difference
At Bar Kismet in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, unique, dramatic sphere ice was a functional and artistic success in specialty cocktails. The seafood-focused restaurant and cocktail bar was the first establishment in North America to test the Hoshizaki Undercounter Sphere Ice Machine when it was introduced last year. It received a 2020 Kitchen Innovations Award.
Seeing the solid, clear, 1.8-inch diameter spheres “was mind-bending because I’d never opened an ice bin and found perfect spheres before,” says Jenner Cormier, Bar Kismet’s co-owner and an award-winning bartender.
The sphere has high visual appeal perched in a rocks glass and stacked in a Collins glass. “We were blown away by the look and it also provides a great amount of chill with very minimal dilution,” says Cormier. In fact, the 1.8-inch diameter sphere contains less surface area than a square, hence the superior chilling.
The workhorse of the bar is Hoshizaki 1by1-inch cube ice. Those hard, dense cubes create the vigorous aeration of egg whites when shaking A Basket of Red Flags, a Bar Kismet signature drink. It is essentially a frothy riff on a tequila sour with colorful additions such as hibiscus, rhubarb root bitters and blood orange. “If we didn't have those ice cubes, the froth on that drink would not be nearly as good,” says Cormier.
In another Cormier creation, The Saint of Lost Causes, the slow-melting 1by1 cubes keep the drink well chilled even through leisurely sipping. This is a stirred, high-proof bourbon cocktail with bitter Italian fortified wine, amaro and hazelnut bitters. “Spirits with high ABV [alcohol by volume] tend to melt ice faster,” says Cormier. “But we get those glasses back after customers finish them 15 to 40 minutes later still with ice left in them. That’s a testament to the quality of the ice.”
While building their beverage business, restaurant and bar operators should heed the value of specialty ice in creating flavorful, attractive and profitable signature cocktails. As Cormier notes, better ice is “a game changer. It really is.”
