Cubes are classic. Frozen squares, rounded corners… thirty two Fahrenheit degrees of icy pleasure. Some of us settle for frozen crescent moons from our automatic ice makers and others, well… others like their ice fancy.
Aside from a set of whiskey stones, I’m not a fancy ice guy… but I could be. Every once and a while, I’d like to be able to garnish a beverage with a unique piece of ice that is clever when served, and gone by the time you finish your drink.
So if you’d like to be a fancy ice person, here are a few I’ve found (and a few I recently ordered–guess which ones!) for your frozen pleasures.
Are you a sci-fi fan? Then your first (and possibly only) stop should be ThinkGeek. My favorite is the Han Solo in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray, if only so that I can have a Scotch and Solo. This is closely followed by the Death Star Ice Sphere Mold, because round ice is all the rage (ThinkGeek, if you’re reading… can we have an Ice Planet Hoth mold please?). Are you on the other end of the stars? Try the Star Trek Starfleet Ice Tray, perfect for when straight synthohol is too strong for your system.
Keep the Ice Pirates away with the AK Ice Cube Tray. It makes ten AK-47-esque rounds that are perfect for the next round of drinks. But if you support the Safe Act and 10 rounds are too many for your liking, maybe the Six Shooters Ice Shots are more your speed.
A website called Gadgets and Gear has a huge collection of novelty ice trays to enhance your drinks including some so large that I think you’d only be able to chill a 34 quart cooler… can you say 10″ Millennium Falcon?
Want to get serious about your fancy ice? Try the ROX Ice Ball Maker. ROX is the best silicone ice ball mold on the market (yes, there are cheapo imitators). The large, slow-melting ice spheres allow you to “taste the whiskey, not the water” and can last longer than smaller cubes. Depending on the quality of your tap or well water, consider using bottled water to make your frozen balls… your top-shelf whiskey will taste like what you paid for it.
And what if the kids see you having all this fun with your drinks and want a little something in their juice cups? Get them the Lego Building Bricks and Mini-figure Ice Cube Trays or the Homer Simpson Head Ice Cube Tray. Ok, get that last one for yourself. Who says your Flaming Homer’s can’t be cooled down a few degrees?
