Ice

I know of one way to make perfectly clear ice, but it requires lots of work. I’m trying to achieve ice for a drink that doesn’t melt so quickly. I don’t normally drink my whiskey on ice, but I need ice for my Old Fashioned to help produce the flavors. Problem is, I make large ice cubes and when they are hit with room temp whiskey they immediately crack and melt foo fast.

Constant shaking would prevent this subpar ice, but I have no way of doing that in a freezer for hours on end.

I have heard that boiling distilled water and then freezing it produces the desired clear ice. Anybody have any suggestions?

Quit drinking

Double boil. Or get a new air clear ice maker. 200 bucks.

Get some great big ball bearings and freeze them. That's probably hard to find and quite expensive. Get some stainless steel bolts or nuts and freeze them.

Put your whiskey in the freezer

You drink Zima. What do you need ice cubes for?

Now. I’m pretty redneck. But not that redneck. Sounds like a trip to Doc Horton.

Ice makers that freeze moving water make the clearest ice and they aint cheap. Whirlpool used to make one and so did Scottsmann, I looked on line and Home Depot reps one called Maxice $1122.00 So just how mad do you want clear ice. Also if you have hard water the clear ice goes away when they get dirt with calcium build up from the water

Explain the double boil please

Go away, men are talking about real drinks here.

You will get white girl wasted on that too so I guess it really doesn't matter does it???

I

I only like that particular whiskey room temp, except when it’s made into an OldFashioned. I have pre mixed Old Fashioned that I put in the freezer and it changed the flavor profile way too much.

Boil it once. Let it cool down. Boil again. Let cool. Then freeze.

Would something like this work?

Steel Ice Cubes

I was picturing something like how you melt chocolate

No. It requires ice to chill and melt just a little.

I guess I could try whiskey cubes with a splash of water

This

I have no experience with any of these processes
or the product but have also recently become interested.

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-clear-ice-cubes-at-home-for-cocktails-article

Or

https://m.wikihow.com/Make-Clear-Ice

Or

https://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Clear-Ice-Cube-Tray/dp/B01MRM0CJI/ref=asc_df_B01MRM0CJI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194866953007&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18203491849566952401&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026832&hvtargid=aud-643191255296:pla-313536862453&psc=1

I've been given these and the stone ones. They don't stay cold at all.

Is this a serious thread

I tried a ton of things that you read about, and none of them work, really. I bought those big molds and tried boiled water, distilled water, twice boiled distilled water, filling the molds in stages, and none of it worked. It was all better than nothing, but not clear ice. Finally, I was gifted a Wintersmiths ice ball maker. $120, but it produces Crystal clear ice, four balls at a time. If you follow the directions, it's perfect. The only problem is that the construction isn't great, especially for the price. If you leave it in your freezer longer than 36 hours, it will crack and leak. I now repair mine with caulk about once a month. Still world's better than anything else I've tried.

Wintersmiths IC-S Ice Chest - Crystal-Clear Ice Ball Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017M6P3V0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YjE9Cb5N4KG9W

I still am not sure.

This looks easy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5H2Opjql9g

To summarize,
He put water in a small cooler, removed the cooler lid and then put the entire cooler in the freezer
The ice froze from the top down making a 2"-3" solid clear block on the top, then he chopped it up with a large serrated kitchen knife.
Looked easy, the video could have been 2 minutes and got the point across.

There are several styrofoam insulated molds out there that will get it done...the problem is that it is slow and the molds to not last long.

I can make the perfect if...
If I set the Freezer to 28 degrees...now this blows for icecream, seafood, and storing anything long term.
Fill the foam insulated mold up with filtered, WARM water (no need to boil).
Insert the rubber mold into the insulated holder.
Make sure it is precisely level in the freeze.
Wait a day and a half. Be extremely careful not to shake or move the mold during this time.
Two perfect ice balls.

If the freezer is too cold, they will have bubbles
If the water is to cool, they will have bubbles
If I boil the water, it seems to increase the likelihood of streaks.

IF you leave it in the freezer too long, the mold gets stretched when the entire tub freezes solid,.
After every 3 - 4 sets of ice balls, the mold needs to be cleaned of the impurities that build up on the surface.

Sure seems to be a whole lot of trouble just to get a buzz.

I am with you. a good swig off a quart bottle and I am finished for the moment.

Or just get....

If I ever get life sorted out to the point that this is an issue I know I will have it made!

High Roller ice.

Here is a secret -

Feed your fridge with a six stage RO filter. You get clear ice.

Ha! If I ever have that much trouble enjoying liquor I will quit drinking.

cheers to that

Yes and the only firearm anyone needs to hunt is this...

Do you need cubes, or would one large, round piece work? My wife bought me these molds from Total Wine, two pieces that make a perfectly round ball of ice, about the size of a billiard ball. I drop one in straight Woodford, room temp. Never had one crack. Doesn't melt fast and dillute the Bourbon, but gets it cold and keeps it there. It's a large surface area of ice, works for me. I believe high rollers call this ice a scotch ball.

Yes, a high roller thread.

I feel so inferior because sometimes my ice isn't clear. I'm scum of the earth.

Use an ice ball press. See them at cigar bars.

I'm guessing you don't drink from a red solo cup

"Activities of the idle rich..."

I don't get the point of it, kind of like smoking jackets or watches/men's jewelry.

Don't feel bad not only is my ice not clear, sometimes it is even chipped

Did someone say.... Dirty Ice??

uhhhhh, freeze the glass?

Y’all are missing the point. Freezing the glass, or the whiskey, doesn’t achieve the proper flavor. Cloudy ice has air in it, therefore it’s not pure ice and causes it to melt at a much faster rate. Yes I like my whiskey beat, but my Old Fashion goes over ice

I like mine neat.

I am right there with you. There are a lot of people missing out on the flavors. “Clean” ice helps open up the whiskey by adding just a little water. Those whiskeys are not about shooting but enjoying the flavors.

I have tried making my own shaker for and ice tray by using the vibrate motor from an old cellphone. It worked ok using distilled water. I prefer distilled because you don’t get the off flavors from the city water or the minerals in spring water.

I have thought about getting one of these molds.
https://www.wintersmiths.com

Does it cause your small finger to poke out off the glass when you drink it?

Never heard this before. Clear ice has always meant that it's lightly frozen. The cloudier the ice, the harder it is, meaning it lasts longer.

But world market is where I've seen the ice ball molds.
https://www.worldmarket.com/product/sphere-ice-molds.do

No you derelicts. It’s causes small things to grow though.

That actually looks really nice. Maybe a good Christmas present. For now, I will try the molds inside a cooler in the freezer.

Well damn....you should've started the post with that....now about this whiskey and ice thing again? How small a things are we talking and is this long term growth or short term?

As the ice cube shrinks, the di..... well, we will just leave that alone

This will not help with the clarity of the ice, but give crushed ice a try. Put crushed ice in one glass and your drink neat in another. Add just a couple of ice chips to your drink and swirl to get the desired chill. This will also melt those chips to give the mixture you are looking for to enhance the flavor that most Bourbon and Whiskeys are designed for.. The other thing this technique does, is your ice cubes are not continuing to melt as you drink, thus adding more water to the mix.

Thats Just Funny!!