Category: ice
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Modern Day Pond and Lake Ice Harvests in America
I got it into my head that I want to see a pond or lake ice harvest, despite my contempt for winter. Commercial ice harvests changed the cocktail landscape in America in the early-mid 1800s, allowing for the creation of juleps and cobblers and the popularization of the drinking straw and the cocktail shaker. Today…
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How Machine Ice Is Made
These are a few ways that ice was and is made, which I learned from the awesome book Ice: The Nature, the History, and the Uses of an Astonishing Substance by Mariana Gosnell. Slushie Method The first way is just like making ice cream the old-fashioned way: snow or cold water mixed with salt can become…
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How Water Freezes
This post is about how a lake freezes, but it should be more or less the same for how an insulated container freezes in a freezer. The information is from the excellent book, Ice: The Nature, the History, and the Uses of an Astonishing Substance by Mariana Gosnell. Turnover As temperatures lower, the water in a lake…
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Camper’s Cocktails in Every Day with Rachael Ray
I have a two-page spread in the November 2011 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. It has a few trends – stuff like fresh ginger and sherry/port in place of vermouth along with some ice cube tricks (recognize that rainbow ice?). Also it has four recipes I developed- a spirit-interchangeble mint buck, a…
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Carved Ice Balls: Starter Molds
Here's a method that gets ice balls started using the cooler method for making clear ice. This comes courtesy of Dave Michalowski, for I saw it on his Facebook page and asked if I could steal his pictures to share. Thanks Dave! He says, "I am using the round containers for the ice balls. I…
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Tales of the Cocktail Preview: The Chainsaw Shift
This is a preview of a seminar that will be given at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, which takes place July 20-24, 2011. The Chainsaw Shift There are two seminars this year at Tales about setting up an ice program. I'm pretty sure this one will be the only one with chainsaws though. The other, How…
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Stovetop Ice Balls: A First Attempt
Now that we know one way to make crystal clear ice, what are we gonna do with it? One thing I've wanted to attempt is to make ice balls. These can be carved by hand, but that's a lot of work. The big copper ice ball makers make lovely ice balls, but these cost a…
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It’s Easter Egg (Ice) Time Again
Here's the Easter Ice project from a couple years ago that I'm reposting. Go here to learn how to make it.
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The Clear Ice Maker That Already Exists
So you know how I've been working for months on a way to make clear ice, and figured out that the best way (so far) to do it is with an Igloo cooler? It turns out that someone else thought of that at least a couple of years ago. The Polar Ice Tray is basically…