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How to Make Clear Ice Balls?

how to make clear ice balls

How to Make Clear Ice Balls?

If you are a bartender, you can never underestimate the importance of aesthetics when it comes to serving drinks or cocktails. Irrespective of the drink you serve, it is vital that you make every single drink look appealing to the customer. As a result, you pay loads of attention to the glass and everything that comes with it. But just like we pay attention to the cutlery and serving style, the content is all that matters in the end.

Drinks are practically served with ice. If a customer asks for a whisky on the rocks, clear ice balls are all you need to add that splash of creativity to the drink. Sure ice cubes are good and that regular ice pellet ice makers are great and everything; but they end up taking more space in the glass hence leaving the whiskey to the imagination. Here, ice balls made from clear ice mould is what can bring perfection to the drink.

If you need clear ice balls, you will need to go through a process that will only yield you positive results in the end. Therefore, this article will guide you on how to make clear ice balls using different techniques and equipment. 

How To Make Clear Ice Balls?

As we mentioned above, one can never underestimate the importance of ice in drinks. Every good bar or restaurant knows how much value a single clear ice ball brings to the table. The way we use the ice can change the appearance of a cocktail or any other drink. So, if you are looking at how to make clear ice balls, then here are some easy, effective, and highly efficient techniques that will make it possible. 

1. Get An Ice Ball Mold

To get those spherical ice balls, the majority of the people tend to rely on balloons or other relevant molds to make it happen. But what follows after is the hassle to break the balloons and separating the ice from them. The best way to tackle this is to simply get an ice ball mold. Although there are different types of molds available in the market, the best way for starters to get ice balls is to use a clear ice mold. An ice ball mold is good, affordable, and extremely easy to use. Moreover, you can reuse these ice ball molds over and over again. 

2. Boil The Water

Call us crazy but if you need to freeze ice quickly, the best way of achieving it is by filling your ice trays with warm water. Yes, warm water freezes into ice faster. Similarly, boiling the water is also a good way of achieving clear ice balls. So, if you are looking for solid and bubble-free ice balls, boil the water before you allow it to cool. Boiling the water eliminates the bubbles and takes care of all the impurities. This way, you can be certain of getting clean and clear ice balls. 

3. Use The Directional Freezing Method

If you are looking for ways how to make clear ice, the directional freezing method is one of the easiest to implement. To do so, all you need is a small six-can cooler, a shaker tin or an insulated thermos that can easily hold an ice mould. Once you have all the necessary equipment, trace the given steps

  1. Fill the cooler with water. Leave an inch of space at the top for the water to expand
  2. Fill the thermos to the brim
  3. Open the ice ball mould
  4. Fill it up to the limit line
  5. Close the ice ball mould
  6. Hold your thumb over the hole in the mould.
  7. Holding your thumb, turn the mould upside down
  8. Now, stick the mould directly on the top of the thermos
  9. Once done, place the mould and the thermos into the cooler

4. Overnight Freezing

If you live in a region that receives heavy snowfall throughout the year, you may have noticed those small crystal icicles forming atop your roof. These icicles are glassy in appearance as they take their sweet timeinformationn. You can implement the same principle here to get clear ice balls. To do so, trace the given steps

  1. Fill the cooler with water. Leave an inch of space at the top for the water to expand
  2. Place the cooler inside the freezer WITHOUT A LID for 24 hours
  3. This gives a chance for the air bubbles to rise up and escape from the top
  4. Remove the cooler from the freezer after exactly 24 hours
  5. Unmold everything to get clear ice balls

Why Ice Balls are Better Than Ice Cubes?

The form of ice present inside a drink or a cocktail is vital to the overall appearance of the drink. Therefore, it is always preferable to use ice balls instead of ice cubes. This is because ice balls tend to melt slowly as compared to ice cubes. Given its tight shape and smaller surface area, ice balls are less exposed to warm liquid as compared to ice cubes. Since ice balls melt slowly, they do not change the taste of the drink whatsoever. If you are looking for something to surprise your guests with, you can make good use of the shape, appearance, and overall robustness of an ice ball. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, filling your ice trays with boiled water is a proven way to make fast and clear ice.Thiss is because boiled water gets rid of the extra bubbles present and eliminates the impurities present

Yes, you can get slightly clear ice with distilled water as compared to normal water. Just ensure that you get the ice out before bubbles start forming at the bottom

In comparison to cloudy ice, clear ice tends to thaw slowly and evenly. Meanwhile, cloudy ice contains packets of air that melt out quickly leaving the beverages altered and highly diluted in the process. 

To make clear ice balls for whiskey, you can implement  the overnight freezing method mentioned in the article. 

The Bottom Line

As we mentioned dozens of times in the article, ice balls are extremely vital as they add to the overall appearance and aesthetics of any drink. Also, ice balls melt slowly and do not change the taste of the drink whatsoever. Hence, if you are searching on how to make clear ice balls, you can make use of this guide to help you through the process

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