EntranceMaking ice for cocktails. Crushed ice - its description with a photo; tips on how to make at home and use in cocktails
crushed ice is frozen water, specially crushed in order to quickly cool something. Such ice is used not only in industry, cooking, but also for some cosmetic procedures.
There are several types of ice: dry, crushed, in cubes. Each type has its own differences. So, ice cubes melt very slowly, they are suitable for making cocktails, they are also mixed in a shaker with the rest of the ingredients. The most common is crushed ice, it is obtained using special tools.
In industrial conditions, both food and technical ice is obtained using special ice generators. Ice makers can produce from 10 to 400 kg of ice per day. Bartenders use ice crushers for this purpose. For home use such a device is not worth buying. Although, if you live in a private house and you often have guests, why not surprise them with such a wonderful machine? Especially since It is recommended to prepare about 1 kg of ice per guest.
Crushed ice is stored in a small bucket. It melts faster than in cubes, which means it cools the contents of the glass faster. Ice can be purchased at the store or ordered with home delivery. Ice for food purposes must be clean, without impurities and odor.
Use in cooking
In cooking, crushed ice is often used to make cocktails. With the use of ice, you can prepare alcoholic, non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks.
Ice can be obtained by freezing not only plain water but also juices.
Any cocktail with the addition of ice will become not only tastier, but also more attractive. Especially crushed ice will be needed for those who like to arrange cocktail parties. After all, it is part of more than 85% of cocktails.
To make ice, it is important to use only high-quality purified water or fresh juices. Thanks to the use of crushed ice, drinks remain cold for a long time, they have invigorating properties, perfectly refresh in the summer heat, quench thirst. Few people know how to use ice correctly. Bartenders recommend filling glasses with ice to the top, it should occupy the entire space of the glass. Indeed, if there is not enough ice, it will quickly turn into water, and the cocktail itself will not cool, and its taste will be spoiled.
Ice is also needed in order to prepare a drink in a special glass for cocktails. The glass is pre-chilled and filled to the top with crushed ice. The glass can be used when it is covered with frost, after which the ice is shaken out.
You can use only fresh ice, it makes no sense to defrost and re-freeze it.
How to do?
You can make crushed ice at home. Edible ice is small pieces of ice in the form of cubes. Simply put, ice is nothing more than water in a crystalline state. Ice is made from purified water using an ice maker.
At home, it can be prepared in the freezer by pouring water into a special form for making ice. This form is a plastic construction with small cells. After the ice freezes, it will need to be removed. To do this, the freezer container needs to be bent slightly until all the ice drops out. Ice is placed in a bag. You can crush the ice with a regular wooden hammer. Ice should be crushed very carefully so as not to damage the bag. In the absence of a hammer, any blunt object can be used. A plastic bag of ice is placed on a wooden board and gently crushed with a hammer.
You can also make crushed ice using a method known as the Lewis bag. It is a bag for storing coins. The Lewis pack is very cheap, and it also allows you to get a lot of ice. The container for freezing ice is bent, as in the previous method, until all the ice cubes fall out. Ice is placed in a Lewis bag and crushed with a wooden mallet. In the absence of this package, you can use a clean pillowcase. Lewis pack ideal for crushing a large number ice. What is the difference between crushing ice in a regular plastic bag and a Lewis bag? The amount of ice that is enough to make several servings of cocktails is placed in a plastic bag. Much more is placed in the Lewis package, so it is used when a large company is expected.
Lewis bag ice is perfect for cocktails, and it's also drier.
The most popular way home cooking ice is to use a food processor or blender.
Ice cubes are placed in a combine or blender, set to pulse mode and the ice is crushed to the desired size.
Also, ice can be crushed in a shaker, where it is shaken until the walls are covered with frost.
The benefits and harms of crushed ice
Ice at proper cooking will not harm the body.
Ice cubes in a cocktail are a common thing for many of us. And if you make the ice colored, then the usual cocktails for us will sparkle with new colors.
For work, we need: ice packs, they are sold in the household departments, drinking water, some berry juice, a place on the shelf in the freezer, containers for ready ice. We take one bag out of the package. Carefully pour water into it through the hole at the top of the bag. Pour so much that all the cells are completely filled with water. To prevent water from leaking out of the bag, it has special straps-strings. We tie them with a tight knot so that our future ice does not run away. Thus, we fill required amount packages.
Ice for our cocktails and drinks is ready. In addition to berry juice, try adding other juices to the water. For example, orange juice will turn water yellow. And the lime will give the ice not only a greenish tint, but also a delicious aroma.
You will need
- - purified water
- - molds or disposable ice packs
- - towel and kitchen mallet (for ice frappe)
- - juice, berries and pieces of fruit (for colored ice)
Instruction
In essence, ice is one of the forms of water that it takes under the influence of negative temperatures. Water from an ordinary water supply contains a lot of impurities; when it is frozen, rather cloudy ice is obtained, which is ugly in appearance and unpleasant in taste. Therefore, following one of the main rules, make ice only from clean water. It is not necessary to go for distilled or bottled. You can use the usual, from the centralized supply system, subjecting it to cleaning in several stages.
Pass the water through a filter with aqualene fibers and boil in a scale-free container. The ideal solution would be to let this water settle. The impurities remaining in it will precipitate within a few hours. Carefully pour the water into another bowl. Now you can ice out of it.
For curly pieces, use very comfortable silicone molds for ice. They are sold in a large assortment in hardware stores. Water for making ice in such forms should be at room temperature. An indispensable condition for making ice in open forms should be its freezing in a place separate from the products. Ice is very good at adsorbing odors from the freezer, so place the molds in the designated area in the freezer. If you don't have a dedicated freezer space, use disposable ice packs that don't absorb odors.
If the cocktail recipe involves the use of colored ice, prepare it with the addition of mint leaves or berries. To make the berries and leaves turn out to be pieces of ice, freeze in layers: pour one third of the liquid into the mold, let it freeze, then put the mint leaves, pieces or berries and fill with the remaining liquid. Also prepare multi-colored ice using layer-by-layer freezing.
Some require the use of fine ice chips according to the recipe -. For its preparation in bars, ice is crushed in special crushers. You can cook at home without the use of special equipment. Spread frozen ice cubes on half of a clean cotton towel and cover with the other half. Take a meat mallet and use the blunt side to break the pieces of ice into the towel. After that, pour the ice crumbs into a container, cover with a lid and place it in the freezer. Put the crumbs in the glass just before making the cocktail.
Ice in cocktails is an indispensable attribute for us. We are so used to it that we do not even think about it as a separate element.
I will tell you about such an important element in the art of bartending as ice and consider
What is ice? Of course, one of the states of aggregation of water (for those who do not remember, the remaining two are vapor and liquid). Chemical composition, of course H 2 O. In reality, all this is only part of the truth. In fact, ice is a tricky thing. There is even a whole science in the world that studies its properties. It's called glaciology. The term is derived from the Latin word glacies - ice and the Greek λογος - teaching.
But before you start making ice for a cocktail, you should clarify some points. For example, that ice, even the most edible, never has the formula H 2 O. After all, the water from which you will prepare frozen transparent ice cubes for cocktails has a lot of impurities. If you don't want to spoil noble drink Before pouring water into special forms, it must be boiled. Try not to use unfiltered tap water.
Where does ice for cocktails come from?
Ice for cocktails, of course, is taken from the refrigerator. In special fancy molds. This remains true as long as your art as a bartender is used to produce a piece of goods, or at least a small-circulation one. If you are planning to switch to mass production of cocktails, then you will need an icemaker.
These are already quite industrial devices for making ice for cocktails. They are divided into two main types - those that work on a water cooling system (their name usually contains the letter W, from water - "water"), or those that use air for this (letter A, from air - "air"). Ice makers are able to supply you with ice already in a predetermined shape.
Most cocktails are made with ice. First of all, ice serves to cool the cocktail without adding water to it, and secondly, to keep the cocktail cold as long as possible. If you want to get glass-clear ice, boil water before freezing or use mineral or spring water to make cubes.
Food ice - represents separate pieces of ice in the form of cubes or cylinders. Produced by ice makers from purified, filtered water. Edible ice is used as a cooling filler in alcoholic and soft drinks, cocktails, juices.
Lumpy (molded) ice - It is produced in the form of pieces of different shapes. It is added to drinks for cooling and beauty. There are several standard shapes for lump ice:
- Glass, or finger ice - comes in the form of a cylinder with a hole and really resembles a glass. In Russia, such ice is no less popular than cube ice. It is believed that it cools drinks better and faster, as it has a much larger heat exchange surface. "Glass" is small (22x24 mm), medium (33x34 mm) and large sizes. This type of ice is well suited for long drinks and carbonated drinks. In addition, it is used in a shaker or blender, as it is quite fragile.
- Cube ice is the classic form food ice. A cube of such ice weighs from 13 to 33 g and is suitable for glasses of any shape. Regarding ice cubes: the larger they are, the better. The easiest way to get ice cubes is from lever-operated ice cubes, as well as from plastic ice cubes. The square-shaped ice takes a long time to melt and is therefore well suited for pure strong drinks.
- Ice in the form of nuggets has a weight of 5-7 g, quickly dissolves and cools the drink.
crushed ice used at exhibitions and presentations for cooling food and drinks. It has the form of chipped pieces of irregular shape. It is also sometimes used in restaurants to prepare drinks and cocktails in a shaker. Crushed ice is easiest to make in an ice mill, but you can do without it. Place a few ice cubes on a dish towel and fold it into a bag. Then place an ice towel on a sturdy stand and use a meat pounder to break the ice. Transfer the crushed ice to a jar and place it in the freezer. Crushed ice melts faster than cubed ice, so always make it right before you use it.
Also used in cocktails coarse ice ("Cobbler").
Ice Frappe(finely crushed ice “crash ice”) is shaved or finely crushed ice. It is used to make cocktails with fruit, crunches, sparkling cocktails "FRAPE", "Mojito" and other drinks that need to be drunk through a straw.
Granulated ice
- these are large hailstones with a diameter of 1 cm. Granulated ice has an ideal temperature of -0.5 ° C, does not freeze, is easy to store, easily mixes with the product and tightly envelops it, does not have sharp edges and does not spoil the product. Granulated ice can be used in restaurants to serve caviar, champagne or wine, organize a salad bar or buffet when cymbals with ready meals placed on an ice sheet.
Flake ice has an ice temperature of -6-12°C, the thickness of its flakes is 1-2 mm. It creates an intense freezing effect, but when it freezes, it has sharp edges, and when elevated temperature(e.g. in open display cases) it tends to stick together.
Fancy ice cubes - a special kind of ice cubes in which candied fruits with a variety of colors and tastes are frozen. There are also ice cubes made from iced tea or coffee. If the recipe for a cocktail involves the use of such ice, prepare it with the addition of juices, mint leaves or berries. In order for the berries and leaves to be inside a piece of ice, freeze in layers: pour one third of the liquid into the mold, let it freeze, then put the mint leaves, pieces of fruit or berries and fill with the remaining liquid.
colored ice applied to design, decoration, decoration, beverage cooling. Juices, lemonades, cocktails can be served with colored ice cubes or colorful ice hearts. Colored ice is served in dishes made of thick glass or crystal. Along with ice, ice tongs are served, with the help of which ice is placed in glasses. Colored food ice is obtained by freezing sweetened fruit and berry juices. Such pieces of ice, in addition to color, have a pleasant fruity taste. Also prepare multi-colored ice using layer-by-layer freezing.
Ice out mineral water, from which all the gas has come out. Such ice for cocktails will not melt for a long time and will provide a natural taste of a cool drink.
fried ice- In the hottest summer, nothing will save you from the heat like "fried ice" will do. A somewhat strange phrase: one word, as it were, destroys another. But actually it is possible.
Preparing the dish is very easy. You need to freeze pieces of fruit in ice. Then whip egg white and make meringue the size of a ping pong ball. Press a piece of ice into this meringue ball. Then douse with hot cognac and set on fire. Cognac burns out so that the ice does not have time to melt. It turns out toasted meringue with an ice cube. Delicious, cool, and nice in the heat. And melt water is very beneficial for health.
Shaved ice("Shaved") in the summer heat is consumed with various syrups to quench thirst.
AT last years become especially popular creative ice molds made from silicone. There are many opportunities for designers here. After all, these containers can be given the most elaborate form. So they are trying whoever is in what much. Letters. Skeletons. Ice diamonds. Titanic with iceberg. And this is far from the most difficult options. But for all forms there is one rule. Before pouring ice into glasses, hold the mold with it for several minutes at room temperature. The ice will melt a little and leave the mold without difficulty. Otherwise, you run the risk of breaking the ice mini-sculpture conceived by the nameless designer.
In Japan, special molds for ice balls have appeared.
As paradoxical as it sounds, the colder the ice, the worse it cools drinks. Cocktails with very cold ice cubes tend to take longer to shake than those with "warmer" ones. Therefore, it is better to use ice cubes, the temperature of which is about 0 ° C - you need to take the ice out of the freezer shortly before preparing the cocktail.
Do not forget: ice should cool the cocktail, but not dissolve it. Excess water can ruin any original recipe.
Ice in cocktails is an indispensable attribute for us. We are so used to it that we do not even think about it as a separate element.
I will tell you about such an important element in the art of bartending as ice and consider
What is ice? Of course, one of the states of aggregation of water (for those who do not remember, the remaining two are vapor and liquid). The chemical composition, of course H 2 O. In reality, all this is only part of the truth. In fact, ice is a tricky thing. There is even a whole science in the world that studies its properties. It's called glaciology. The term is derived from the Latin word glacies - ice and the Greek λογος - teaching.
But before you start making ice for a cocktail, you should clarify some points. For example, that ice, even the most edible, never has the formula H 2 O. After all, the water from which you will prepare frozen transparent ice cubes for cocktails has a lot of impurities. If you do not want to spoil the noble drink before pouring water into special forms, it must be boiled. Try not to use unfiltered tap water.
Where does ice for cocktails come from?
Ice for cocktails, of course, is taken from the refrigerator. In special fancy molds. This remains true as long as your art as a bartender is used to produce a piece of goods, or at least a small-circulation one. If you are planning to switch to mass production of cocktails, then you will need an icemaker.
These are already quite industrial devices for making ice for cocktails. They are divided into two main types - those that work on a water cooling system (their name usually contains the letter W, from water - "water"), or those that use air for this (letter A, from air - "air"). Ice makers are able to supply you with ice already in a predetermined shape.
Most cocktails are made with ice. First of all, ice serves to cool the cocktail without adding water to it, and secondly, to keep the cocktail cold as long as possible. If you want to get glass-clear ice, boil water before freezing or use mineral or spring water to make cubes.
Food ice - represents separate pieces of ice in the form of cubes or cylinders. Produced by ice makers from purified, filtered water. Edible ice is used as a cooling filler in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails, juices.
Lumpy (molded) ice - It is produced in the form of pieces of different shapes. It is added to drinks for cooling and beauty. There are several standard shapes for lump ice:
- Glass, or finger ice - comes in the form of a cylinder with a hole and really resembles a glass. In Russia, such ice is no less popular than cube ice. It is believed that it cools drinks better and faster, as it has a much larger heat exchange surface. "Glass" is small (22x24 mm), medium (33x34 mm) and large sizes. This type of ice is well suited for long drinks and carbonated drinks. In addition, it is used in a shaker or blender, as it is quite fragile.
- Cube ice is the classic form of edible ice. A cube of such ice weighs from 13 to 33 g and is suitable for glasses of any shape. Regarding ice cubes: the larger they are, the better. The easiest way to get ice cubes is from lever-operated ice cubes, as well as from plastic ice cubes. The square-shaped ice takes a long time to melt and is therefore well suited for pure strong drinks.
- Ice in the form of nuggets has a weight of 5-7 g, quickly dissolves and cools the drink.
crushed ice used at exhibitions and presentations for cooling food and drinks. It has the form of chipped pieces of irregular shape. It is also sometimes used in restaurants to prepare drinks and cocktails in a shaker. Crushed ice is easiest to make in an ice mill, but you can do without it. Place a few ice cubes on a dish towel and fold it into a bag. Then place an ice towel on a sturdy stand and use a meat pounder to break the ice. Transfer the crushed ice to a jar and place it in the freezer. Crushed ice melts faster than cubed ice, so always make it right before you use it.
Also used in cocktails coarse ice ("Cobbler").
Ice Frappe(finely crushed ice “crash ice”) is shaved or finely crushed ice. It is used to make cocktails with fruit, crunches, sparkling cocktails "FRAPE", "Mojito" and other drinks that need to be drunk through a straw.
Granulated ice
- these are large hailstones with a diameter of 1 cm. Granulated ice has an ideal temperature of -0.5 ° C, does not freeze, is easy to store, easily mixes with the product and tightly envelops it, does not have sharp edges and does not spoil the product. Granulated ice can be used in restaurants to serve caviar, champagne or wine, to organize a salad bar or a buffet, when plates with ready meals are placed on an ice mat.
Flake ice has an ice temperature of -6-12°C, the thickness of its flakes is 1-2 mm. It creates an intense freezing effect, but when frozen, it has sharp edges, and at elevated temperatures (for example, in open display cases) it tends to stick together.
Fancy ice cubes - a special kind of ice cubes in which candied fruits with a variety of colors and tastes are frozen. There are also ice cubes made from iced tea or coffee. If the recipe for a cocktail involves the use of such ice, prepare it with the addition of juices, mint leaves or berries. In order for the berries and leaves to be inside a piece of ice, freeze in layers: pour one third of the liquid into the mold, let it freeze, then put the mint leaves, pieces of fruit or berries and fill with the remaining liquid.
colored ice applied to design, decoration, decoration, beverage cooling. Juices, lemonades, cocktails can be served with colored ice cubes or colorful ice hearts. Colored ice is served in dishes made of thick glass or crystal. Along with ice, ice tongs are served, with the help of which ice is placed in glasses. Colored food ice is obtained by freezing sweetened fruit and berry juices. Such pieces of ice, in addition to color, have a pleasant fruity taste. Also prepare multi-colored ice using layer-by-layer freezing.
Mineral water ice from which all the gas has come out. Such ice for cocktails will not melt for a long time and will provide a natural taste of a cool drink.
fried ice- In the hottest summer, nothing will save you from the heat like "fried ice" will do. A somewhat strange phrase: one word, as it were, destroys another. But actually it is possible.
Preparing the dish is very easy. You need to freeze pieces of fruit in ice. Then beat the egg white and make meringue the size of a ping pong ball. Press a piece of ice into this meringue ball. Then douse with hot cognac and set on fire. Cognac burns out so that the ice does not have time to melt. It turns out toasted meringue with an ice cube. Delicious, cool, and nice in the heat. And melt water is very beneficial for health.
Shaved ice("Shaved") in the summer heat is consumed with various syrups to quench thirst.
In recent years, there has been an increase in popularity creative ice molds made from silicone. There are many opportunities for designers here. After all, these containers can be given the most elaborate form. So they are trying whoever is in what much. Letters. Skeletons. Ice diamonds. Titanic with iceberg. And this is far from the most difficult options. But for all forms there is one rule. Allow the ice cube to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before pouring ice into the glasses. The ice will melt a little and leave the mold without difficulty. Otherwise, you run the risk of breaking the ice mini-sculpture conceived by the nameless designer.
In Japan, special molds for ice balls have appeared.
As paradoxical as it sounds, the colder the ice, the worse it cools drinks. Cocktails with very cold ice cubes tend to take longer to shake than those with "warmer" ones. Therefore, it is better to use ice cubes, the temperature of which is about 0 ° C - you need to take the ice out of the freezer shortly before preparing the cocktail.
Do not forget: ice should cool the cocktail, but not dissolve it. Excess water can ruin any original recipe.