You Need The Right Type Of Ice For Easy And Quick Blended Drinks
If you feel like choosing the right ice for making cocktails has gotten more complicated lately, you're not entirely wrong. The shape of ice greatly affects cocktails, so it's perhaps no surprise that there are so many different varieties of ice around these days. For the inside scoop on choosing the best ice for making blended drinks, Food Republic spoke to Rhon Romero, the head bartender for HALL and odo Lounge in New York City. As it turns out, sometimes the simplest answer is the best.
"Crushed ice is best for blended drinks," he explained. "Its small size blends smoothly, creating a consistent texture without overworking the blender." Using crushed ice in a blender makes a lot of sense because, in the end, you're going for a slushy-like texture. Since crushed ice is already broken up, you're already halfway there before you even add any spirits to the blender. With just a few pulses, you can have frozen drinks ready in no time without over-mixing. The smaller the cube, the easier it is on your blender's blades and motor, minimizing the risk of damaging your machine.
What to do if you don't have crushed ice
If you're planning to make blended drinks at home, chances are you don't have a fancy crushed ice machine like your local trendy cocktail bar. That's no big deal, you just need to make it the old-fashioned way — by actually crushing it. The easiest method is to fill a large zipper bag with ice, seal it up, and then smash the ice cubes with the smooth side of a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the back of a heavy-bottomed pot or fry pan. Freezer-weight bags work best for this in case the banging and smashing rip the plastic, but any food-safe plastic bag will get the job done.
If you make a lot of blended drinks, but you don't want to invest in a specialized electric crushed ice machine, you can also get a hand-crank ice crusher like Winco's Manual Ice Crusher, which is pretty inexpensive. It'll only crush a few cubes at a time, but it's just enough to make a couple of frozen blood orange margaritas or a mudslide for a backyard happy hour without breaking the bank. It's also nice for small jobs like crushing a few flavored ice cubes, which will make those margaritas deliciously complex.