How to Make Clear Ice

Picture this: you’re sitting outside on a hot summer day with the perfect, refreshing cocktail in your hand. And what does the perfect cocktail include? Clear ice cubes.

Clear ice cubes are the cherry on top of a show-stopping cocktail. There’s no better way to astonish your party guests!

How Long Does Ice Take to Freeze?

Your first question when considering making these is likely, “How long does it take to freeze water?” And the answer is 24 hours!

Although you can freeze it for 18-24 hours and still have good quality ice, the closer to 24 hours, the better. You want to ensure your ice is slowly frozen.

How to Make Clear Ice

Freezing ice in a cooler is what allows it to become clear. The dense, impure water will sink to the bottom and leave the clear on the top. Read on for the perfect recipe.

Step 1:

Remove the top of a small, insulated cooler that will fit in your freezer. Pour 4 to 5 inches of warm (not hot!) water into the cooler and place it in the freezer with the lid off.

Step 2:

Freeze for 18 to 24 hours.

Step 3:

Remove the cooler from the freezer. Before attempting to remove the ice block, let the cooler sit for 10-15 minutes. This allows the ice to acclimate and avoids cracking from early removal.

When the time is up, gently flip it over and allow the block to slide out. You can also put the cooler upside down in the sink for about 10 minutes and allow the ice block to slide out itself.

Step 4:

The impure and cloudy water should have separated from the clear ice. Drain any impure water left and break off the cloudy ice.

Step 5:

Use a serrated or bread knife to cut your ice. When doing this, it is important to hold the ice with a towel or oven mitt.

Cut a strip of ice by lightly sliding the knife back and forth. Use the same method on the strip to cut cubes. You can shape the ice further with an ice pick, if desired.

Step 6:

The ice can be stored in the freezer in a ziploc bag indefinitely. But, before using in a drink, let the clear ice cubes adjust to room temperature for 2 minutes to avoid cracking.

You’re all set! I hope you are able to make stunning cocktail ice cubes with this recipe.

If you enjoyed it, be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate’s newsletter and stay tuned for more kitchen tips!

Cheers!

How to Make Clear Ice

If you want your cocktail to really shine, you need Clear Ice Cubes. This helpful guide will show you how.

Print

Ingredients

• water
• cooler

Instructions

1. refer to main post for detailed instructions

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.