How To Make Crushed Ice At Home Like A Pro

Crushed ice is a must for some cocktails, like a refreshing mojito, a mint julep served in a classic silver cup, or a tropical rum swizzle, Bermuda's national drink. Bars have machines that make crushed ice, and you could use a standard blender or some types of immersion blender to do the job at home. But if you don't have either on hand, Mike Ryan, Corporate Director of Beverage for restaurant Tanta Chicago and Acurio International, gave Food Republic some tips on how to make crushed ice old-school style.

Bartenders used to have to rely on their own strength to make crushed ice. Ryan explained, "Before we had machines to mechanically crush ice, we had the good ole fashioned Lewis Bag and hammer." The sturdy canvas bag is filled with ice cubes and whacked with a wooden mallet to break them down. You can buy your own Lewis bag, or Ryan said you can alternately wrap ice cubes in a clean kitchen towel and pound on it with a hammer or another tool, like a meat mallet or rolling pin. 

A kitchen towel and Lewis bag are both absorbent, which Ryan told us is important so that "when you've finished crushing the ice, you won't have a large amount of liquid floating around your bag." If there's water pooling, you'd have to fish out the crushed ice while avoiding excess water to prevent diluting your drink prematurely. 

Ice doesn't just keep cocktails cold. While too much dilution isn't good, the right amount helps bring out the flavor of the drink's elements, and keep it from being too liquor-forward or sweet from sugary mixers. Crushed ice is used when you want more dilution; the small pieces have more exposed surfaces, so they melt more quickly and evenly while adding texture.

According to Mike Ryan, when you add ice depends on variables like the type of drink (and ice), but he said crushed ice is generally added last. It should also pile up higher than the rim of the glass.

For typical mixed drinks, standard 1-inch square ice cubes dilute more slowly. Plan accordingly as ice takes around four hours to freeze, but there are tips to get the cubes to freeze faster. For the proper dilution and chill, there should be enough cubes so they're not floating but resting on the bottom. Fewer cubes can make a drink watery since more ice means faster cooling (and less melting). Ryan explained that "glassware and drinks and ice are all linked," so customary mixed drink measures and 1-inch cubes fit together perfectly in a 12-ounce rocks glass.

When you're having a drink like an old fashioned, or a bourbon or scotch on the rocks, where it's all about the liquor, 2-inch spheres or square cubes melt slowest for the least dilution, which lets the spirits shine. Put the ice in the glass first, and, as Ryan told us, "You can actually build the whole drink on the cube, stirring in the glass until it gets to the proper dilution and chill."