Let's Talk BBQ
Spriited Discussions => SPIRITED DISCUSSIONS => Topic started by: ronman451 on July 25, 2020, 11:15:59 AM
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Since I'm hunkered down at home, I thought I'd step up my bartending game a little and try my hand at making clear ice. I sometimes hear it called large form factor clear ice or even artisanal clear ice. It's pretty easy to do and uses a technique called directional freezing. In a nutshell, you freeze the water in a container of some kind, with the sides and bottom insulated and the top uninsulated. This causes the water to freeze from the top down. A regular ice cube freezes from all sides, from the outside-in, causing the gases in the water to be trapped in the middle, making cloudy ice. Long story short, I filled my little Coleman lunchbox cooler about 3/4 of the way with the top removed and froze it for about 24 hours. You don't want all the water to freeze, only the top few inches, which will be clear.
There are lots of YouTube videos showing this technique. Here's a fun one that I followed: https://youtu.be/n5H2Opjql9g
Into the deep freezer...
(https://i.imgur.com/190DrkK.jpg?1)
Here's the clear block that resulted
(https://i.imgur.com/7wVfHRL.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6fzMHHu.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/HcwabZp.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/f1VO2lx.jpg?1)
And the payoff... An Old Fashioned for me and a Vodka Soda for my wife.
(https://i.imgur.com/sVXUd99.jpg?1)
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Looks good, easy way to do it.
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Ice, Ice, Baby!
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Nobody said their was going to be science here. My head hurts
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Nobody said their was going to be science here. My head hurts
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You will be Ok Pappy
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I don't mind the air but that is neat
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I don't mind the air but that is neat
I agree! It was a fun project to take my mind off the daily news. And any excuse to enjoy some good bourbon...
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I have always struggled with the clear ice cubes. I will definitely try it, just have to find some freezer space to do it.
BTW, what is your favorite Old Fashion recipe?
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I don't mind the air but that is neat
I agree! It was a fun project to take my mind off the daily news. And any excuse to enjoy some good bourbon...
I would love to try it but have two fridge freezers that are full of food lol......did you notice a taste that was cleaner or not?
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Looks very cool ! ! ! (pun intended)
But the $64,000 question is . . . . . . . . . Do the drinks taste any better ? ? ?
BD
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Nobody said their was going to be science here. My head hurts
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sometimes my head hurts after the whiskey
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Big fan of Old Fashioneds, one of my favorite cocktails .
Have done that a few times, works great! I never have enough space in my freezer tho :(
Have even bought a gadget that makes clear cubes using the same science but its also pretty big.
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So to answer a few questions, the ice didn't taste cleaner or better. I'm happy with the neutral taste of my water here (it's city water that is filtered thru the fridge, and I keep the filters pretty fresh). I think it made the drink more enjoyable because the big chunk of clear ice melted slower and didn't water down the cocktail too quickly. I'm a believer that your cocktail goes through stages as time goes by. My goal is to make it near-perfect and let it evolve into the perfect amount of water to alcohol blend a few minutes after serving.
As for my favorite Old Fashioned recipe? I honestly don't have one yet, but I am having fun trying different bourbon, bitters and sugar combinations. For this batch I used a simple syrup I made from brown sugar and Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters (my first time), and it was quite tasty. Lots of cinnamon and wood-bark notes. There is a local NM company from Santa Fe called The Bitter End that makes some outstanding bitters. I like Angostura orange bitters too. The bourbon... This was a store-pick bottle of single-barrel Eagle Rare. It's a nice bottle, but not a lot of character. I prefer Four Roses single barrel or I.W. Harper, but now you are starting to spend too much money for a mixer bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 makes a decent mixer in my opinion. My ideal price point for a mixer bourbon is $25 and below. I found a couple of bottles of Weller Special Reserve the other day for about $20. Kind of hard to find in these parts. I know lots of folks love this bourbon, but it didn't do anything special for me. I'll use it as a mixer all day long, though!
Don't get me started talking about whiskey, I'll never shut up!! Bottom line, drink what you want, the way you want it!
Cheers!
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...And any excuse to enjoy some good bourbon...
I'm not a bourbon drinker but am nonetheless surprised to learn that one needs an excuse to drink it. Not an issue with Scotch - availablility is excuse enough.
Jus' sayin'...
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...And any excuse to enjoy some good bourbon...
I'm not a bourbon drinker but am nonetheless surprised to learn that one needs an excuse to drink it. Not an issue with Scotch - availablility is excuse enough.
Jus' sayin'...
I won't turn down a Lagavulin, it that's what you're implying! :-) In fact, I'll pour you one myself! I think we all can be friends...
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The clear ice cube is really a "cool" factor when friends come over. I have heard it doesn't have any different taste.
A single big fat cube instead of multiple small cubes does make a big difference with the dilution. For good stuff. I use one big cube. I gave up on making the clear stuff, and simply bought a rubber form from Bed and Bath for $10, It makes 6 big square cubes that easily come out when needed.
Of course if someone brings real good stuff, no cubes!
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The bourbon... This was a store-pick bottle of single-barrel Eagle Rare. It's a nice bottle, but not a lot of character. I prefer Four Roses single barrel or I.W. Harper, but now you are starting to spend too much money for a mixer bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 makes a decent mixer in my opinion. My ideal price point for a mixer bourbon is $25 and below. I found a couple of bottles of Weller Special Reserve the other day for about $20. Kind of hard to find in these parts. I know lots of folks love this bourbon, but it didn't do anything special for me. I'll use it as a mixer all day long, though!
Don't get me started talking about whiskey, I'll never shut up!! Bottom line, drink what you want, the way you want it!
Cheers!
You ever try Benchmark? It's made by Buffalo Trace and around here sells for around $20 a handle. I attended a blind taste test between it and two other bourbons and it tied for first. Tied with Buffalo Trace and beat Woodford Reserve. Now I have noticed that the taste can vary a little from batch to batch but I think that is true of all bourbons these days as they are rushed to market due to high demand. I use it as a mixer and a sipper.
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So to answer a few questions, the ice didn't taste cleaner or better. I'm happy with the neutral taste of my water here (it's city water that is filtered thru the fridge, and I keep the filters pretty fresh). I think it made the drink more enjoyable because the big chunk of clear ice melted slower and didn't water down the cocktail too quickly. I'm a believer that your cocktail goes through stages as time goes by. My goal is to make it near-perfect and let it evolve into the perfect amount of water to alcohol blend a few minutes after serving.
As for my favorite Old Fashioned recipe? I honestly don't have one yet, but I am having fun trying different bourbon, bitters and sugar combinations. For this batch I used a simple syrup I made from brown sugar and Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters (my first time), and it was quite tasty. Lots of cinnamon and wood-bark notes. There is a local NM company from Santa Fe called The Bitter End that makes some outstanding bitters. I like Angostura orange bitters too. The bourbon... This was a store-pick bottle of single-barrel Eagle Rare. It's a nice bottle, but not a lot of character. I prefer Four Roses single barrel or I.W. Harper, but now you are starting to spend too much money for a mixer bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 makes a decent mixer in my opinion. My ideal price point for a mixer bourbon is $25 and below. I found a couple of bottles of Weller Special Reserve the other day for about $20. Kind of hard to find in these parts. I know lots of folks love this bourbon, but it didn't do anything special for me. I'll use it as a mixer all day long, though!
Don't get me started talking about whiskey, I'll never shut up!! Bottom line, drink what you want, the way you want it!
Cheers!
Thats a great price for Weller SR, I got some a few months ago for $28 its almost impossible to get around here and if you find it they are selling for more that $100
Eagle Rare does make a tasty cocktail.
For mixing I like Buffalo Trace which i can usually get in a 1.75 liter bottle. It makes an excellent OF as does Wild Turkey 101 is good too and easy to find.
My recipe for any interested is;
2oz bourbon
scant 1/4oz gum (gomme) syrup, if avail if not rich simple syrup
Bitters usually Angostura, but I have others including Fee Bros and more. 4-5 dashes
2 dashes orange bitters ( I like my bitters!!)
Stirred on ice and served on a single large cube if available
Garnish that with an orange peel that you expressed the oil over the glass and a fancy cherry!
1/4 of the simple syrup can be a tad sweet so i used just shy of that. Regardless if fun to experiment with different ratios, whiskys and bitters!!