Window Table Please: Clear Ice Ici!

Some time ago, a few of my co-workers and I dined at a Michelin-starred steakhouse in Cupertino, CA. The dinner was sponsored by a computer vendor. Before dinner, we gathered at the bar and had pre-dinner drinks while we waited for the other co-workers to arrive. When all were present, we were led to our table. Fast forward to the dinner table.

The lull between the time the group finished the mouth watering dinner and the time before the dessert was served, one of my co-workers ordered a bourbon on the rocks. When the wait staff brought the drink, it was in a bourbon glass and inside was a large ice cube, taking up most of the space. The bourbon was an amber-brown/copper color. Oh, and that ice! It caught my attention. Why? It was big, and it was so clear. The cube was about 2"x 2"x 2" (5cm x 5cm x 5cm) - so cool, so sexy and so clear.

I wanted to ask the staff how they got the ice cube so clear. Maybe it was made with a $6,000 ice making machine? I passed asking. I was still impressed. I wanted my drink and ice to look just as classy when I made it at home. One would think that making ice so clearly would be easy. I found there is a science to making clear ice.

Fine Champagne cognac ready to sip & enjoy. Drink responsibly. Don't drink & drive! Ice Ici! Ice Here!

I experimented before searching the internet on how to make clear ice cubes. I was impatient. I started with filtered tap water; poured it gently into an ice tray (a BPH free & flexible one); covered it with plastic wrap; and placed it in the freezer. Twenty-four hours later, I unmolded the cubes. They were large, firm and somewhat clear (except for the cloudiness in the middle of the ice cube). It was clear at the outer portion of the ice cube. It wasn't as clear as I hoped it would be. Not that simple as it turns out.

Still eager and determined, I searched the internet and found two links that caught my attention. I typed in the browser: ' how to make clear ice cubes'. The first link I delved into was "clear-ice.net" and the second from YouTube: "Making clear ice from better cocktails at home". Both sites provided information to start again.

Using filtered tap water, I filled the ice tray; placed the tray in a rectangular lunch cooler (about 5 quarts/4.75 liters); filled the cooler with water around the ice tray and just below the lip of the tray. I placed the cooler, with tray inside, into the refrigerator's freezer - uncovered. I let it set for about twenty-eight hours. After, I carefully removed the ice-tray from the cooler, the block of ice surrounding the tray too.

Just out of the cooler. The block of ice surrounding the tray helped insulate the sides, making the freezing to come from the top. Carefully chip away the surrounding block of ice, freeing up the ice tray.

The science of making clear ice-cubes is that the insulation around the sides and bottom of the ice tray forces freezing from the top instead of all around the ice tray. The oxygen won't collect in the middle as the freezing moves towards the center when it freezes in all directions; but the oxygen is forced downward freezing from the top only. The ice cubes froze clearly!