The Cooler Mistake That's Ruining Your Chilled Drinks

Keeping your drinks cool is paramount for any outdoor gathering. Whether you're trying to maximize cooler space for your tailgate or keep the party going with refreshing beverages all night, there are a surprising number of factors that go into it. Here's one mistake that too many people fall victim to: throwing out the water in the cooler when the ice begins to melt. Buckle up; there's a lot of science coming your way.

The phases of matter (yes, this is relevant) are solid, liquid, and gas. In our case, ice, water, and steam. When it comes to water, phase changes don't incur temperature changes simultaneously. This means that even as ice melts, the water surrounding it stays at a stable and comparable temperature to the ice from whence it came. What does this have to do with your drinks? It means that your beverages immersed in this ice-water blend will remain as cold as they were when it was just solid ice cubes enveloping them.

In fact, the water helps to slow down the rest of the ice melting as everything in the cooler is at roughly the same temperature. By removing the water, the ice is just exposed to the much warmer air and will melt faster without the temperature-stabilizing feature of phase changing. This then restarts the whole process but loses a lot of energy unnecessarily along the way. In a nutshell — keep the cold water not only to help chill your drinks but to prevent the ice melting faster.

Putting the mistakes aside, there are a few hacks to proactively keep your drinks chilled. The first sounds simple, but often goes overlooked — use larger ice blocks. They take longer to melt, and you don't need to buy special huge molds either. You can take your favorite bread pan, fill it with water, freeze it overnight, and voila — giant ice. Tupperware and empty large plastic bottles also work well — though you'll probably have to cut off the bottle to get the ice out.

A more creative option is to make an ice mold for a liquor bottle to sit inside of. This technique can be embellished with decorations and double as a centerpiece on top of its practical use. Granted, this is better suited to a party at home rather than a cooler, but who ultimately knows when a decorative ice block could come in handy? For cooler-specific tips, limit opening it repeatedly as much as possible to keep warm air out. Additionally, dry ice at the bottom of your cooler will last longer than regular ice if you're prepared to spend a little more.