If you’re not drinking gourmet, hand-cut ice with your whiskey

[3rdgensooner]

... you’re doing it wrong


The Iceman Cometh: The Rise of a Gourmet Ice Entrepreneur (http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2011/01/the-iceman-cometh-the-rise-of-a-gourmet-ice-entrepreneur/69804/)

http://assets.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/food/Robbins_Ice_1-19_post.jpg


Michel Dozois is pinning the success of his two-year old company on the dubious thrills of watching ice melt.

When courting new clients, Dozois, the owner of Los Angeles's Névé Luxury Ice Company, sits them down for a simple experiment. He fills two Old Fashioned glasses with ice—the first with conventional cubes, the second with his company's "ice rock," a single large cube, which takes up about 50 percent of the glass—and tops them with a dram of good whisky (his spirit of choice is Laphroig). Dozois then asks the potential clients to sit back and wait, allowing nature to take its course.

About every seven minutes, he asks the client to take a sip—first of the conventional drink where the ice is rapidly melting, then of the drink made with the sturdy opaque brick of Névé ice. The second shows minimal dilution; it's essentially whisky served neat, but much, much colder.


"Every cocktail calls for different dilution, different ice, different needs," Dozois explains.But Dozois's pitch isn't only about taste. He insists that less dilution also benefits a bar's bottom-line. "If your body can take this much fluid," explains Dozois, gesturing to several glasses, "How much of that do you want to be water? If it dilutes less, it will take you less time to drink what's in the glass, and the bar will make more sales."

[saucysoonergal]

If this isn't Thunder nip, then I don't know what is.

[jumperstop]

Dumb, hand cut ice? It's ****ing frozen water... I don't think that tiny amount of melted water in my drink from melted ice is going to cause me to drink any less or any slower. And if I was really concerned about it "diluting" my whiskey I would get those refreezable metal ice cubes.

[The]

Dumb, hand cut ice? It's ****ing frozen water... I don't think that tiny amount of melted water in my drink from melted ice is going to cause me to drink any less or any slower. And if I was really concerned about it "diluting" my whiskey I would get those refreezable metal ice cubes.

Those color the flavor of the whiskey.

I'm a heretic, I like to chew the ice cubes, and not have to worry about an iceberg hitting my lips.

[saucysoonergal]

Those color the flavor of the whiskey.

I'm a heretic, I like to chew the ice cubes, and not have to worry about an iceberg hitting my lips.

I didn't know your drank your Jägermeister over ice?

[The]

I didn't know your drank your Jägermeister over ice?

Jager is the shot. The Macallen is the chaser.

[Ike]

Or, instead of buying this guys product, a bar could simply buy a few of these:

http://www.chefsresource.com/king-cube-large-ice-cube-tray-red-tovolo.html

[delhalew]

http://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Whiskey-Stones-Set/dp/B002GZX2DE/ref=sr_1_15?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1295627042&sr=1-15

[OUthunder]

If this isn't Thunder nip, then I don't know what is.

That's a little over the top. I only use one cube of ice with my scotch as not to dilute it much. However, our ice is purified. :D

[sooneron]

Actually, many experts say to lightly dilute with ice cold water, NOT to put ice into a SM. That is why it is preferred to ask for scotch neat with a small glass or carafe of ice water. It is meant to dilute the heavy alcohol odor blast that inhibits scotch and takes away from the actual notes that add to the experience of tasting it.

[NormanPride]

It's true that the shape and hardness of the ice changes the flavor of the alcohol. I think gourmet ice is a bit much, though. Best to just have an ice block and learn to chip your own if you're that into it.

[yermom]

who needs ice?

i'm just swigging from the bottle most of the time :D

i'm liking this idea though. i'm not sure how much $$$ it's worth, but people don't pay enough attention to the thermodynamics involved with ice in my drink :mad:

it always annoys me when i go somewhere that doesn't use enough ice and my drink is just a watered down mess with a couple of tiny pieces of ice floating in it, whether there is booze in it or not

[mgsooner]

I drink my whiskey out of a gallon bucket with a couple of those blue ice packs in it.

[Leroy Lizard]

Whiskey: I just drink the stuff.

[soonerchk]

Drink faster. Melting problems solved.

[yermom]

yeah, decent stuff doesn't really need anything with it

i guess i have a new whisky to try though

[OutlandTrophy]

http://www.creativesoapstone.com/cold-stones/index.html

[Leroy Lizard]

It appears to me that there is no advantage to the large ice cube. Less surface area means less melting, but that also means less cooling. The fact that the ice is melting simply means that it is soaking up the thermal energy from the surrounding whiskey, which means it's doing its job.

In other words, if you don't want water in your whiskey, don't put any ice in it. Problem solved.

[yermom]

i was thinking the same thing. it says it offers the same amount of cooling with less melting. i guess that's possible if the one cube was large enough to make up for the difference, but i really doubt the math on that works out

[Oldnslo]

Ice with Scotch? how sad.

Ice with Bourbon is okay, but as has been observed above, if you're worried about melting ice, you're not sippin' quick enough!

[Leroy Lizard]

i was thinking the same thing. it says it offers the same amount of cooling with less melting. i guess that's possible if the one cube was large enough to make up for the difference, but i really doubt the math on that works out

It doesn't. If the ice cools the drink, it melts. Such a large chunk of ice has most of its mass in its interior.

Gourmet ice, like most foo-foo, is crap.

[yermom]

i wouldn't go that far, as the sales method shows. less surface area means it melts slower

i just think that particular claim doesn't hold water literally

personally, i like to chew ice, so there is a balance in there somewhere

[OUthunder]

yeah, decent stuff doesn't really need anything with it

i guess i have a new whisky to try though

Yes, but I've had supposed "good" stuff taste really bad and I've had to dilute it just to drink it.

[mgsooner]

http://27.media.tumblr.com/WbHTuHn9LlkklsawjG6RnQKco1_500.jpg

Scotch and Splenda?

[Leroy Lizard]

i wouldn't go that far, as the sales method shows. less surface area means it melts slower

i just think that particular claim doesn't hold water literally

personally, i like to chew ice, so there is a balance in there somewhere

The large interior of the ice does act as a heat reservoir, which would keep the surface of the ice cooler. So there would be less melting. I think the change would be minimal, but it would be a cool calculus-physics problem. Any physics teachers out there?

[Veritas]

If you're drinking ice with your whisky then
a) you're doing it wrong
b) you're drinking Canadian whiskey.

Either way, stop. The only appropriate thing to add to whisky is more whisky. Maybe a bit of water if you've got something cask strength, but I'll side with Jim Murray: if you reduce the ABV to less than 40%, you're no longer drinking whisky and you may as well add some fruit juice and little umbrella (I added that last bit).

[Ike]

The large interior of the ice does act as a heat reservoir, which would keep the surface of the ice cooler. So there would be less melting. I think the change would be minimal, but it would be a cool calculus-physics problem. Any physics teachers out there?


You were right in the beginning...it cools the drink less rapidly.

[cccasooner2]

The people that would drink this way don't care about the thermodynamics nor the economics. They don't care about anything other than the "trendiness" and their imagined coolness about doiing something others are not doing. I have seen people drinking brandy alexanders made with Louis xiii. Whatever turns them on, it's their nickel.

[Breadburner]

I have a special knife and fork that make my steak taste better....

[OUthunder]

The people that would drink this way don't care about the thermodynamics nor the economics. They don't care about anything other than the "trendiness" and their imagined coolness about doiing something others are not doing. I have seen people drinking brandy alexanders made with Louis xiii. Whatever turns them on, it's their nickel.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Leroy Lizard]

You were right in the beginning...it cools the drink less rapidly.

No doubt about that. The question is: Once the large block of ice has cooled the drink the same amount as the smaller chunks of ice, will as much ice from the large block be melted?

No. The larger interior keeps the surface of the large ice block at a lower temperature. Finding out how long it would take to melt the large ice block would require calculus. But then again I'm no physicist.

[WichitaSooner]

Just get these bad boys:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=silicone+ice+cube+trays&hl=en&prmd=ivns&resnum=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7910188828595275204&ei=ePo5TdO3PMO78ga63N21Cg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CG4Q8wIwAQ#

And if you want to be really snooty, just use bottled water with 'em...

That way if it's your main concern to not be percieved as an uncultured ****, you can achieve it without having an iceberg or million year old rocks in your drink.... or heaven forbid.... normal tap water ice from the fridge... oh, the horror...

[cccasooner2]

No doubt about that. The question is: Once the large block of ice has cooled the drink the same amount as the smaller chunks of ice, will as much ice from the large block be melted?

No. The larger interior keeps the surface of the large ice block at a lower temperature. Finding out how long it would take to melt the large ice block would require calculus. But then again I'm no physicist.

Agree, but who would want to put out a $3,000 effort on a problem with no benefit to themselves? The guy in CA BSed his way to profit and is happy. His customers are happy (at least for the time they ponied up their cash for the BS).

BTW, I enjoy watching your color changes. :)

[Cornfed]

Whatever happened to putting granite cubes in the freezer to cool yer whiskey?

[Leroy Lizard]

Agree, but who would want to put out a $3,000 effort on a problem with no benefit to themselves?

You're talking about one person (college sophomore) taking about a half-hour. Which is more effort than I want to put into it, so I guess I see your point.


BTW, I enjoy watching your color changes.

http://gizmoblog.net/pic/USB_20Chameleon_202.jpg

[SoCaliSooner]

I put soda in ice trays and freeze it...and use those ice cubes in my rum and coke to keep it from diluting. I do the same with pineapple juice too...

[sooner ngintunr]

I put soda in ice trays and freeze it...and use those ice cubes in my rum and coke to keep it from diluting. I do the same with pineapple juice too...

So you won't dilute your rum and coke? brilliant!

[sooner ngintunr]

If you're drinking ice with your whisky then
a) you're doing it wrong
b) you're drinking Canadian whiskey.

Either way, stop. The only appropriate thing to add to whisky is more whisky. Maybe a bit of water if you've got something cask strength, but I'll side with Jim Murray: if you reduce the ABV to less than 40%, you're no longer drinking whisky and you may as well add some fruit juice and little umbrella (I added that last bit).

Nothing wrong with sipping Canadian Whiskey neat. That's the good stuff right there.

[GottaHavePride]

Canadian? The good stuff? I admit, Crown is pretty solid, but it's not a 30-year single malt, either.

[delhalew]

Whatever happened to putting granite cubes in the freezer to cool yer whiskey?

Well I posted something similar on the front page, then someone else who didn't notice did the same...you make three. Thrice mentioned are the stones.

[MamaMia]

shaved ice = whiskey snow cone

[Veritas]

Nothing wrong with sipping Canadian Whiskey neat. That's the good stuff right there.
Dude. A world of wonderful whiskies awaits you, and once you've finished your journey you'll realize that Canadian distillations are the Swisher Sweets of whiskies.

[delhalew]

Dude. A world of wonderful whiskies awaits you, and once you've finished your journey you'll realize that Canadian distillations are the Swisher Sweets of whiskies.

Truth.