How to make DIY clear ice AT HOME 

A refined whiskey drinking experience always starts with the ice. As is typical with the homemade liquor connoisseur, it starts as cubed from your refrigerator's freezer. However, as the drinks get more adventurous, some of us will raise the 'ice' bar with crystal clear ice at home. It does not dilute your drink like regular ice cubes or non-clear ice. In this article we will explore how to make a perfect cocktail with truly clear ice.

MYTH: BOILING WATER IS THE KEY TO CLEAR ICE. 

MYTH: DISTILLED WATER IS THE KEY TO CLEAR ICE. 

What causes clouDINESS? 

Water Impurities cause cloudiness in your molds

As water freezes, the particles and air bubbles that are responsible for the cloudiness get trapped. More so, these particles congregate together towards the center of the ice, as this is typically the part of the cube that freezes first. We are going to use physics to give the particles a place to go so that we can the ice clear. The most popular method of making clear ice at home is the directional freezing method. Nature is the best teacher (as is typically the case) and today we will be exploiting nature's tricks to make the clear cube - right in your home. You can use this ice in block form or insert the clear block into an ice ball press or whiskey press to change ice shape. It's important to use clear ice instead of opaque, as clear ice dilutes slower in your drink.

What is Directional Freezing?

To understand directional freezing, we should first understand how lakes and ponds freeze. One of the first things that you'll notice is how transparent the icy top surface of the lake is. The science behind clear ice in nature is really cool, and it has to do with the land insulating the body of water on every side, besides the top surface which is exposed to air. This means that the top surface freezes first - hence the name 'directional freezing'. Since the body of water freezes from top to bottom, the denser particulates and impurities gravitate towards the bottom of the body of water, leaving the perfectly clear frozen water at the top. This is unlike the typical ice mold or ice maker or ice tray freezer, which pushes the impurities to the center rather than 'down'.

TRUTH: DIRECTIONALLY FREEZING WATER IS THE KEY TO CLEAR ICE. 

Note: Boiling water or distilling water doesn't guarantee clear ice, but it certainly helps. These methods work fine with warm water, or even cold, but the perfect ice making water should be boiled at least once, possibly twice. IT IS NOT NECESSARY! Some ways to get some perfectly clear ice at home are here:

• Open Face Cooler Method— This method takes the longest and is certainly the bulkiest, but it gets the results you need. Since the cooler is insulated on all sides, the bottom and sides will freeze last. It will take a couple of days depending on the size and you will have to cut the cloudy part out of the bottom.
• Clear Ice Products— It is the expensive way, but there are many brands that you can go to for a product that solves your ice needs. You can get a product for spheres of crystal clear ice out of your freezer, or cubes that can be carved or pressed into other shapes. Just type 'clear ice molds' into Amazon or Google.
• DIY Method— I really liked the video below and the approach. For those of us that want to create our own molds, that have directional freezing, without spending much, Alexandre's video is a great step.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Our brand, Pressice Barware, is focused on delivering to its customers a refined drinking experience. The flagship product, the Pressice Barware Ice Press, works extremely well with clear ice. We provide the entire home barware kit that includes molds, the press, glasses, coasters, tongs, a drip tray, and bar mat for $250 on Amazon and on our store. Conveniently, you're on our site. Check it out today and email mallori@pressicebarware.com for a discount. Happy Drinking!

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• mallori@pressicebarware.com