The Best Ice for the Job
Finely Crushed Ice
Often seen in mint juleps, crushed ice deeply chills a drink, freshens it and lightens its texture.
Crushed Ice
For a caipirinha, Brazilians will traditionally break ice cubes into shards and add them to the limes before cachaça is added. The drink is not shaken.
Extra-Large Ice Cubes
Great for drinks that shouldn’t be overdiluted, especially whiskeys, rums or certain cocktails when they’re served “over,” such as manhattans, negronis and martinis.
Cubed Ice
The standard, it’s best used in anything that needs to be super-cold and drunk relatively quickly, such as gin-and-tonics and whiskey sours.
Mint Julep
To crush the ice, put some ice cubes in a cloth bag or wrap them in a clean dish towel, then crush with a mallet. Alternately, place cubes in a thick-sided pint glass and use a muddler to crush them. Larger batches of ice are best crushed in a blender.
Ingredients:
3 sprigs of mint
1 teaspoon baker’s fine sugar
Crushed ice
2 ounces bourbon
Directions:
In a glass, combine two mint sprigs, sugar, and two dashes of water. Gently muddle together, trying not to tear the mint leaves. (Overmuddling brings out bitterness in the mint.) Fill the glass with the crushed ice and pour the bourbon in over it. Garnish with remaining mint.
By Jordan Mackay
