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It’s a simple fact; no-one likes when a beverage that’s meant to be enjoyed cold gets warm. This is why many cocktails include ice, which has three functions: Keeping the drink cold, adding aesthetic appeal, and in some cases, diluting the alcohol. Cocktail ice typically comes in cubed or crushed form, so to find out definitively which should be used when, we spoke to Katie Stryjewski, cocktail Instagrammer and author of “Cocktails, Mocktails, and Garnishes From The Garden”.
According to Stryjewski, “The more surface area an ice cube has, the faster it will melt. So crushed ice melts much faster than cubed ice, and dilutes and cools your drink faster.” This can be a good or a bad thing. For some drinks, crushed ice is simply impractical because it would quickly water it down to detrimental effect. For instance, a typical old fashioned uses just one or two large ice cubes so that they melt slower, because as a sipping drink, it would become watery long before many imbibers finish it. It’s worth puchasing an ice cube tray like this large silicone square ice mold if slow-sipping cocktails are part of your regular routine.
But while cubes are the most common type of ice, some drinks do benefit from crushed ice. Stryjewski says, crushed ice “can also add a textural element.” While you don’t tend to interact with the large ice cubes in most cocktails, simply letting them melt into the beverage, crushed ice is often included in frozen drinks because it has a satisfying mouthfeel.
When to used crushed ice in your cocktails
Crushed ice is ideal for frozen cocktails, and a common feature in many tropical drinks. As Stryjewski says, “Crushed ice is generally used for drinks that should be served very cold that you’re meant to consume fairly quickly (like a smash or a swizzle), and for drinks with big flavors or high ABV that benefit from the extra dilution (like tiki cocktails or a mint julep).”
Unlike a sipping whiskey, strong tropical drinks are meant to be finished rather quickly, meaning the ice melting quicker is not a problem. In fact, it’s necessary for certain drinks, as they would be too strong without the dilution caused by the melting ice. For cocktails like the mint julep, which consists solely of bourbon, mint, mint syrup, and ice, the flavor would be too harsh for many people without the ice diluting the liquor. In addition, it would also mean you could drink less of your chosen cocktail before feeling the buzz, which is not always appreciated when you want to sample a lot of drinks or minimize the effects alcohol has on your brain.
