How to make ice at home: cubes or crushed ⛳️ Alko Profi

Before making ice, you need to thoroughly study this process and its nuances. It’s not enough to just pour water into special forms and put them in the freezer. To make a transparent and beautiful product that will decorate cocktails, you will have to work hard. And yet, contrary to popular belief, you do not need to use any special refrigerators for this.

Everything can be done with your own hands with minimal financial and energy costs. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment and not to stop if your first attempts fail.

How to make ice at home without special equipment (cubes and crushed)

It would seem that it could be simpler: fill the molds with tap water and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours.
But the result is a milky substance that often has an unpleasant chlorine odor. To prevent this from happening, we will look at the correct technology for making ice at home in the form of transparent cubes or crushed pieces. The only equipment you need is a freezer; even molds can be replaced with improvised containers. Theory . Homemade ice turns cloudy due to gases (including oxygen), mineral salts and other impurities contained in the water. The gases form tiny bubbles that, when frozen, form crystals that are too large. Heavy metal salts act in a similar way. Only purified, degassed water of low hardness provides complete transparency.

Properly made ice is not only clear, colorless and tasteless, it also takes 30-50% longer to melt. As a result, the drink is less diluted with water.

Ingredient:

water (purified or distilled) – 1 liter.

Depending on the number and variety of drinks, an average of 600-800 grams of ice is required per party participant.

Technology and cooking features

Before you start making ice, it’s worth considering the features of the technology for preparing this cold dessert. In fact, preparing it does not require much effort; everything is done quite simply and easily.

The main thing is that you must have juice from natural berries and fruits. Various spices and granulated sugar are also added to it.

But still, before you start preparing it, you should carefully study some important features:

Making ice using fresh fruit. This treat can be made from fresh seasonal or frozen fruit. But before you start cooking, be sure to thoroughly rinse all components from dust and dirt. As soon as the fruits are washed, it is recommended to wipe them and after that you can start making ice;
Juice based ice. This is the most common cold dessert technology. In this version it cooks very quickly. To do this, you need to squeeze juice from fruits or berries. It can then be mixed with the ground pulp. The liquid mixture is poured into molds and placed in the freezer for a while. As soon as a crust of ice forms on the surface, a stick is inserted into each mold and put back into the freezer until completely frozen;
Ice from sugar syrup. The technology for making this ice is quite simple. For preparation you need juice from fruits, berries, granulated sugar and water. Water is poured into the container, sugar is added and everything is mixed. Next, the berries or fruits are ground to a puree-like mass. Then the berry or fruit puree is poured into sugar syrup and stirred. The finished composition is poured into molds, which are placed in the freezer.

Homemade Ice Recipe

1. Pass ordinary water from a tap or well (well) through a filter for purification, preferably with reverse osmosis, removing minerals and salts as much as possible. The harder the water, the better the cleaning should be. If there is no filter, it is better to purchase bottled water for children that has undergone additional softening.

The ideal option is distilled water, which you can buy at a pharmacy or make yourself by distilling ordinary water on a moonshine still of any design.

Advice. Make sure your freezer and ice trays are free of odors. For example, you cannot make ice in a compartment where meat or fish is stored open.

2. Pour the prepared water into any clean non-aluminum pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. After 2-3 minutes, cover with a lid.

3. Cool the water to room temperature, then bring to a boil again, cover and cool to 20-25°C. Double boiling is guaranteed to remove any remaining oxygen and other gases, leaving the ice clear.

4. Pour water into molds, cover with cling film (preferably) on top and place in the freezer. If there are no special molds, they can be replaced with disposable cups or bottoms from plastic bottles.

The bottom is suitable for cubes; in the neck you can freeze ice for crushing

To make it easier to add ice cubes to a glass, I advise you to pour water in a layer no higher than 5-6 cm.

5. Freezing time depends on the temperature in the freezer and the volume of the molds. If a bubble is visible in the center of the cube, the ice is not ready yet.

To speed up cooking, you can freeze the initially hot water without wrapping the exposed surface in cling film. The main thing is not to melt the mold material.

To make homemade ice without bubbles inside, you will have to freeze the water in a couple of batches: first pour only to the bottom (1-2 cm layer), after hardening, add to half the mold, leave for a couple of hours in the freezer, pour in the remaining water and wait until completely frozen .

6. Remove the finished cubes from the mold by slightly bending the plastic base. The shelf life of homemade ice in the freezer is unlimited.

Types of ice for alcoholic drinks

To prepare ice for a drink, you can use ordinary forms, which are placed in a regular refrigerator, and to make ice in large quantities, you can use a special unit called an ice maker.
Although few people know this, ice can be made in several categories and varieties:

Food. This type of ice appears in the form of individual pieces of ice, shaped like small cylinders or cubes. Most often made using an ice maker from filtered drinking water. This type of ice is used as a cooler for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks or cocktails.
Lump. It is prepared in the form of pieces of different shapes and is added both to cool the liquid and for beauty in alcoholic cocktails. In this category, ice can also be divided into cups, cubes and nuggets.
Chipped. This type of ice is usually used at presentations and exhibitions to keep drinks and food cool. This ice has the form of crushed pieces that have an irregular shape. This type of ice is also used in bars and restaurants for preparing cocktails in a shaker. You can prepare crushed ice at home, by breaking chunks of ice with a kitchen hammer and using a cloth so that the fragments do not fly away. Because crushed ice melts much faster than other varieties, it is prepared right before use.

Ice Frappe. This name is given to finely crushed or shaved ice, which is used to make cocktails with the addition of fruit, cruchons, Mojitos, and other drinks that are usually drunk through a straw.
Granulated. This type of ice has the shape of small hailstones, approximately 1 cm in diameter. This ice is easy to store, it does not freeze and mixes quickly with the product and never damages its soft tissues. Most often, such ice is used to serve wine, champagne and some types of dishes on an ice bed.
Ice cubes Fancy. This sonorous name was given to ice cubes in which a variety of candied fruits are frozen. Such cubes can also be made from coffee or tea, and if preparing a cocktail involves using juice, berries or mint leaves, then all this can be frozen in Fancy ice cubes.
Color. This ice is used not only to cool drinks, but also to create their original design, or decorate the glass. Juices, lemonades and cocktails are usually served with this ice, although it can be used for any other purpose at the user’s request. To obtain colored ice, fruit and berry juices are used, which have different colors, and in addition, such ice cubes have a pleasant original taste. In order to give the ice greater originality, layer-by-layer freezing is sometimes used, then each ice cube has an impressive and beautiful appearance.
Fried. Despite the unusual and controversial name, this ice is quite simple to prepare. To do this, small pieces of fruit are frozen in the freezer, then the egg white is beaten and a meringue is made, the diameter of a tennis ball. A piece of ice is pressed into it, after which it is doused with cognac and set on fire. has time to burn before the ice melts, and the meringue turns out toasted, maintaining a cool and refreshing effect, with ice inside.

Today, in order to make any type of ice, you can use an ice maker or a wide variety of freezing molds, which are usually made of plastic or food-grade silicone.

How to make crushed ice

7. Place the cubes obtained in the previous step into a durable plastic bag. Gently crush the ice to the desired size of crystals with a wooden mallet or any other blunt kitchen utensil, such as a rolling pin. Strike smoothly and not very hard, trying not to tear the bag.

Attention! Before crushing, protect your eyes and face from individual pieces of ice.

An alternative is to grind the cubes in a food processor or blender on the pulsing setting.

It is very easy to get injured when crushing by hand!

How to make ice for drinks at home?

Why isn't homemade ice clear? Read about how to make clear ice at home

The question “How to make ice at home?” makes many people smile. After all, what could be easier than pouring water into molds and putting it in the freezer?! Just what to do if you don’t have an ice cube tray on hand or it’s cracked? And for some reason the ice in restaurants and in the photos is transparent, but at home it turns out white and cloudy. Of course, restaurants use ice makers, but at home you can do without them and make a small amount of clear ice in the freezer. We'll tell you in detail how to do this.

Tips for making edible ice

Not only impurities, but also air bubbles reduce the transparency of ice. To get high-quality ice at home, listen to our recommendations:

The water in the water supply network contains many impurities; ice is not transparent when produced. One of the basic rules of professionals is that ice must be made from purified water. If you take water from a tap, be sure to thoroughly clean it with a filter and boil it, preferably twice. Boiling will help get rid of unwanted air.
Leave the water to stand for several hours, all impurities will settle. Carefully, being careful not to stir up sediment, pour the water into another container.
You can prepare a variety of ice figures using silicone molds.
When ice freezes, it absorbs foreign odors; try not to cook it near strong-smelling foods.

If you don’t have the required number of ice trays on hand, use improvised means. For example, fill small disposable plastic cups to the required height and freeze. The cups are flexible, removing the ice is not difficult. Another option is to cut pieces of food-grade polyethylene into squares, pour in a lot of water, tie them in a knot, and freeze them. You will get neat balls that will look impressive in a cocktail glass.

How to make clear ice

Why does ordinary ice have a heterogeneous structure and white crystals in the center? The answer is simple: because of the composition of the water from which we prepare it. Everyone knows that water can be hard or soft, and different substances can be dissolved in it. It is salts, gases and other impurities in the process of freezing water that form large white crystals in pieces of ice and change its color.

Only non-carbonated purified water with minimal hardness can form transparent ice when frozen. If you prepare ice correctly, it will have no taste or smell, and will melt about 40-50% slower. How to prepare it:

Take purified water for baby food on the basis that each guest needs 500-600 grams of ready-made ice.
Pour water into an enamel or stainless steel pan, bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, turn off the gas, cover with a lid and let cool.
Repeat boiling again, cool under the lid to room temperature. This way you will get rid of gases dissolved in water.

Pour the prepared water into molds and cover them with cling film and place them in the freezer until completely frozen.

A few important details:

The freezer compartment must be clean to prevent bacteria from getting into the ice and unpleasant odors from being absorbed. Do not store ice in fish or meat containers.
To avoid the formation of bubbles, pour water in three stages - first to the bottom, then to the middle, and only then to the edge of the mold, allowing each layer to harden completely. You can also use the slow freezing method for this purpose (temperature -1 Celsius for 24 hours).
You can also freeze hot water (without covering it with film), taking into account the quality of the mold material and the power of the freezer.
Ice can be stored indefinitely.

Watermelon frozen dessert

What ingredients will you need:

bright-colored watermelon pulp – 400 grams;
granulated sugar - 170 grams;
one medium-sized lemon;
kiwi – 2 pieces;
blueberries – 100 grams;
chilled water – 150 ml.

It will take 4-5 hours to prepare.

Calorie content – 118 kcal.

How to make popsicles from watermelon:

The granulated sugar should be divided into three parts because this ice is made of three layers;
Place the seedless watermelon pulp into a blender and add a third of the granulated sugar;
Cut the lemon into two parts, squeeze the juice from half and pour it into a blender with the watermelon with sugar;
Grind everything until puree is formed;
Pour watermelon mixture into molds;
Dip the blueberries into the watermelon mixture; they will become watermelon seeds;
Place the molds in the freezer and leave for a while;
As soon as the mixture freezes a little, insert a stick into each mold;
Put it back in the freezer;
Make a second layer in the container. Pour in water, juice from half a lemon and a third of sugar;
Stir thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved;
Take out the molds and pour the second layer;
After this, we make a third layer of kiwi. Peel the fruits, cut them into medium pieces and place them in a blender container;
Add sugar, add a little water and puree in a blender;
Place the last layer of kiwi into the molds;
Place in the freezer for several hours until completely frozen.

How to make ice without molds

You can use any form to make ice except glass - the glass will simply burst when freezing water expands. You can remove the finished ice from a mold of any size and material if you slightly heat the mold itself from the outside. If you don't have a special ice tray, you can use:

plastic glasses
plastic or metal lids
silicone molds for miniature cupcakes or sweets
chocolate box insert
small plastic bags
parts of a large Lego set and other plastic toys

All these form options need to be processed before use. New plastic bags and plastic cups do not need to be washed, but it is better to wipe children's toys with alcohol.

Use in cooking

In cooking, crushed ice is often used to make cocktails. Using ice, you can prepare alcoholic, non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks.

Ice can be obtained by freezing not only ordinary water, but also juices.

Any cocktail with the addition of ice will become not only tastier, but also more attractive. Those who like to throw cocktail parties will especially need crushed ice. After all, it is included in 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, are perfectly refreshing in the summer heat, and 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. After all, if there is not enough ice, it will quickly turn into water, and the cocktail itself will not cool down, and its taste will be spoiled.

Ice is also necessary to prepare the drink in a special cocktail glass. First, cool the glass and fill it 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 only use fresh ice; there is no point in defrosting and re-freezing it.

How to make crushed ice

In Asian countries, they even prepare desserts from crushed ice, pouring it with fruit juices and syrups. Special equipment is used to crush ice. But it’s unlikely that anyone would install such a thing at home just for crushing ice. Therefore, you can use other methods to prepare small portions of crushed ice.

Use a hand crusher . This will take a lot of time and effort, but there will be little ice.
Use a food processor or blender : container with an S-shaped blade, pulsing mode. It will be noisy, but everything will work out provided the device has normal power and sharp knives.
The best method is to place the ice in a thick kitchen towel, wrap it tightly, and smash it directly into the towel with an ice mallet (or a clean meat mallet). Use a flatter surface. We do not recommend using a plastic bag - the ice will simply tear it and fly apart.

The benefits and harms of crushed ice

Ice, when prepared correctly, will not cause harm to the body.

It is not recommended to use this product in excessive quantities or very often to avoid the risk of developing a sore throat.

It is also not recommended to use ice for people with hypersensitive teeth.

Cooking recipes with photos

Light fruit salad

10 min.

Pear lemonade with sage

5 minutes.

The best recipes for simple vodka cocktails

Of course, it is better to drink vodka in its pure form, with a good snack and in good company. But sometimes it’s out of place, and it’s just boring - you want to try something that will catch you. In such cases, we recommend that you prepare simple cocktails with vodka that can be easily prepared at home.

In general, vodka is ideal for cocktails - it is strong, has no smell or taste (of course, we are talking about high-quality vodka). Many bartenders recognize it as an ideal ingredient for mixed drinks, and in this they are 100% right. The official one can be safely added to a cocktail in order to increase its strength, without affecting the taste and smell.

In addition, you can completely create your own cocktail from vodka, using the formula for the ideal drink, which is floating around the Internet:

A + 2B + 7C , where

A – sweet part (liqueur or syrup);

B – sour part (lime or lemon juice);

C is the bitter part, that is, the alcoholic base.

Thus, by mixing 7 parts of vodka with two parts of lemon juice and adding to this one part of sugar syrup or liqueur, we get the perfect cocktail. However, there is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, there are a huge number of vodka-based cocktails. We chose the simplest ones.

Ways to get ice

Automatic ice making machine (ice makers)

Perhaps the only thing this method is suitable for are parties with a large number of people, where cocktails flow like water: that is, a lot of ice is required, but the drinks are drunk quickly, and it does not have time to melt. If you want to savor some Bourbon Collins or Daisy Whiskey longer, you need to come up with something better.

The machines can operate on a water or air cooling system. In the first case they are marked W (water), in the second - A (air).

Freezing in a regular refrigerator

This method is preferable. Roughly speaking, the slower the ice freezes, the slower it will melt. This means that freezing ice in cubes the old fashioned way is much better. Especially if the company at the party is not very large.

An automatic ice making machine, also known as an ice maker. Suitable for use at a crowded party

Vodka cocktail recipes

Of course, it would be stupid to rush into all seriousness when there is an unshakable classic. The simplest mixed drink with vodka has always been and will be the legendary Screwdriver cocktail, we have already written about it. No less popular is the Bloody Mary cocktail, the recipe of which can be easily adapted to suit home conditions by replacing expensive sauces with regular salt and pepper.

An even easier way to make Vodka on the Rocks is to simply pour 50 ml of vodka into an old-fashioned glass with ice, but this requires very high quality vodka. But it's too simple. In the end, we must not forget about more interesting classic drinks, the Black Russian, for example. We went through all this. Today we have new heroes visiting us.

Cocktail Vodka Sprite (long drink, build)

Ingredients:

50 ml vodka;
150 ml sprite;
20 g lime.

Preparation:

Everything is very simple. You need to take a highball, a tall narrow glass, and fill it with ice. Then pour 50 ml of vodka into it and top it with Sprite. Gently stir with a bar spoon and garnish with two lime wedges. A very simple and refreshing drink that can be prepared without any difficulties. The next mixed drink is just as good.

Energy Vodka / RedBull Vodka (long drink, build)

Ingredients:

50 ml vodka;
150 ml energy drink (RedBull);
10 g lemon.

Preparation:

Everything is very simple. Take a highball and fill it with ice. Add vodka and top up with RedBull. Mix it all with a bar spoon and garnish with a slice of lemon. If desired, you can add a couple of drops of grenadine for color. This is probably one of the most popular cocktails in nightclubs - it invigorates in a way that is not childish. It is not recommended to drink no more than two copies, because its heart is not iron. The next drink is safer.

Cape Coder (long drink, build)

Ingredients:

50 ml vodka;
150 ml cranberry juice;
5 g cranberries optional.

Preparation:

Everything is very simple. Pour ice into a highball glass and pour 50 ml of vodka. Add cranberry juice to the top, stir with a bar spoon and decorate with cranberries. The latter, however, is not necessary. By the way, an incomparable cocktail with a very subtle and unusual taste. To enhance the effect, we recommend using cranberry vodka (for example, “Finlandia Cranberry”).

IQ (long drink, build)

Ingredients:

50 ml vodka;
20 ml honey syrup;
150 ml grapefruit juice;
10 g orange.

Preparation:

Everything is very simple. Fill a highball glass with ice and fill it with 50 ml of vodka, 20 ml of syrup and juice to the top. Stir everything with a cocktail spoon and garnish with orange zest. This drink is intended for lovers of bittersweet cocktails.

Vodka martini (short drink, shake)

Ingredients:

50 ml vodka;
15 ml dry vermouth;
1 olive

Preparation:

It's a little more complicated. Fill the mixing glass with ice, stir it until frost appears on the walls of the glass and drain the melt water through a strainer. Add 15 ml vermouth and 75 ml vodka. Stir the cocktail with a bar spoon and pour it through a strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with green olive.

Coffee grounds

Shutterstock

Instead of throwing away coffee grounds, you can try using them on the icy paths on your property, the path to the garage. The fact is that coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps lower the melting point of ice.

It also has a secondary function: Because coffee grounds are dark in color, they absorb more sunlight than lighter-colored materials such as snow, ice and rock salt, which can help speed up the natural melting process of ice dams on a clear, sunny day.
see also

Winter Tips: What to do if your car is covered in ice?

Simple alcoholic cocktails with vodka at home

The bar list of each night establishment offers a wide range of such drinks.

The most popular cocktails based on this alcohol are included in this list:

"Blue Lagoon";
"Cosmopolitan";
"Screwdriver";
"Bloody Mary";
"Boombox";
"Breakfast";
"Bitter Pill"
"Royal shot";
"IQ";
"Flag of Russia";
"Cossack dose";
"Morning with my beloved";
"Reanimator".

You can easily prepare any alcoholic cocktail with vodka at home, organize a party and invite friends.

Recipes for making alcoholic cocktails with vodka at home

"Blue Lagoon"

Compound:

25 ml lemon juice;
100 ml soda water;
25 ml each of vodka and Blue Curacao liqueur;
ice cubes.

Cooking sequence:

Fill a tall glass to the top with ice cubes.

Pour all the alcohol into this cocktail container and mix these ingredients thoroughly with ice.

Pour soda water into the drink, garnish the glass with a cocktail cherry and drink the refreshing drink through a straw.

The Blue Lagoon is perfect for hot summer evenings.

"Screwdriver"

This is one of the simplest alcoholic cocktails with vodka that can easily be prepared at home.

A popular alcoholic drink consists of the following two components:

vodka – 50 ml;
orange juice – 150 ml.

“Screwdriver” is very easy to prepare. The two components need to be combined in a cocktail mixing container and poured into a beautiful chilled glass. Not a single Halloween party is complete without a Screwdriver.

"Bloody Mary"

You will need the following ingredients: