The Boil, Boil, Freeze Approach

To make ice using this technique, the “boil it twice, freeze it hot” approach, you … boil the water twice and freeze it while it’s still hot. The thought is that boiling the water two times eliminates the impurities that can lead to cloudy ice. That’s not entirely true, unfortunately. Yes, boiling it twice will get rid of impurities in the water. However, the cubes may still look cloudy once they’re frozen. The good news is that you can reduce that effect by combining this freezing method with larger ice molds. Large pieces of ice don’t melt as quickly, anyway.

The Juice Carton Trick

Do you have an empty juice carton? Are you in need of large chunks of ice? Huge cubes of ice are cool in a mod kind of way. You can easily make your own, and you don’t even need to buy anything special. Take those empty cartons and cut them down into the shape of a cube. Fill them up with water—twice boiled or otherwise—and stow them in the freezer. Do it well ahead of the party, of course, but once the guests arrive, you’ll have some impressive hunks of ice.

Ice in a Pan

This ice cube challenge is easy, and it will absolutely result in crystal clear ice cubes. The technique is simple—grab a brownie pan, make sure it’s clean, fill it with water, then pop it in the freezer. When you remove it, the ice in the center of the pan will likely still look cloudy. Forget the middle. The middle sucks. The outer edges should have plenty of clear ice, though. To remove the block of ice, let it sit for a few minutes or gently run warm water over the bottom of the pan. Once the ice slides out, carefully cut it into cubes or other shapes.

With these freezing techniques, your at-home ice-game will definitely be on-point. You’ll quickly become everyone’s favorite amateur mixologist. Which challenge will you try first?

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So how do you make these excellent party favors?

Step 1: Boil the water

You want to make sure you have a clear ice cube for optimal effect,so use filtered, boiled water. This will prevent imperfections in the ice. Once you’ve boiled the water let it cool completely (we’re not trying to cook anything here).

Step 2: Prepare your infusing items

Cut the fruit into small pieces so they will fit into an ice cube tray. You can use any size of cubes, just make sure your fruit is small enough to fit and freeze in the water.

Step 3: Combine the water and fruit in the tray

Pour your cooled water into the ice cube tray, leaving some space at the top. Add the fruit and freeze! Wait a couple hours for the ice to freeze (the time needed will depend on the temperature of your freezer and the size of the ice cubes), and enjoy at your next party!

You can add any kind of fruit, herb or flavoring to the cubes depending on what kind of cocktails you are making.

Why not try some lemon zest infused ice cubes to add to gin and tonic? Or lime zest for margaritas on the rocks.

You could add basil and grapefruit infused cubes to add a fresh flavor to a classic martini.

Add a coffee bean to each cube for your espresso martinis.

Blueberries or strawberries would be great in any vodka drink.

Experiment with your own combinations, sizes of fruit and mixes for the perfect garnish to your cocktails.

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