How ice has evolved from just cooling your drink to going premium behind the bar

What does ice in your drink mean to you Is it only to keep it cool Think again The cityrsquos restobars no longer see ice as a colourless extra ingredient in your drink In fact much research and thought is being given to its preparation the water and machinery used the shape it should takemdashSpherical Cubes Diamond or conical Small cubes A beautiful roseThe trend says Vikram Achanta cofounder of 30 Best Bars India was seen about a couple of years ago when mixologists in Japan started handcarving ice into various shapesldquoWhile its prime purpose is to chill the drinkrdquo says Rohan Rege ldquoice adds essential dilution to a drink When added it is either stirred or shaken As the ice melts it enhances the flavour of the spirit If you try to drink whiskey neat it wonrsquot go down very smoothly but if you add a splash of water it softens smoothens and enhances the soft subtle flavourrdquoRemember villain Robertrsquos played by actor Jeevan iconic irreverent dialogue in Amar Akbar Anthony as Ramlal Pran begs at his feet Whiskey ka mazaa kyun nahin aa raha ldquoKyunki hum ice dalna bhul gaya thahelliprdquoThe assistant food and beverage manager at St Regis Hotel adds that every highend bar relies on large blocks of ice over smaller cubes that melt quickly ldquoCocktails are meant to be enjoyed over a long period of timerdquo says Rege ldquoBut common ice dilutes the drink swiftly so while it tastes perfect when made flavours are lost quickly A highend bar always relies on larger blocks of icerdquo Rege was named bartender of the year in India in 2017 by World Class DrinksKevin Rodrigues bar manager at Hakkasan and Yauatcha says that though a patron might see ice as ldquoan extra we design recipes keeping the kind of ice in mind thus it is integral to the drinkrdquoLarge blocks are used in spiritforward drinks such as Aged Negroni or Old Fashioned when mixologists want to control dilution and ensure the drink isnrsquot too watery A large sphere is used in highend single malt whiskeys served on the rocks ldquoSmaller cubes are for iced teas and cocktails when we want fast dilutionrdquo explains Rodrigues ldquoFor Mojitos we choose crushed icerdquoHakkasan Mumbai which laid the table a decade ago was one of the first to invest in a machine by Japanese firm Hoshizaki to make ice inhouse ldquoWe were way ahead in cocktail culture because we borrowed the recipes and techniques from Hakkasan Londonrdquo says Rodrigues with pride ldquoand since they used this machine we followed suitrdquo While it makes ice cubes for large blocks they turn to mouldsThe diamondshaped ice that Ghyar carved for a drinkHakkasan is an exception Most city restobars source ice from a third party or do both Among the latter is Bandrabased Japanese restaurant Akina and Delhirsquos much loved cocktailbar PCO that came to Lower Parel last yearldquoIf you have a small bar it is better to make your ice inhouserdquo says Pritam Ghyar head bartender at Akina ldquoClear ice differentiates a great drink from a good one because it melts slowly and has fewer impurities that would impact the flavour We used to make ice inhouse entirely because it allows us to carve different shapes Then we started outsourcing a large chunk for convenience but still make a small batch to experiment with and carve different shapes such as a spear or a diamondrdquo At Akina water is boiled at 100 degrees Celsius to eliminate impurities ldquoEven then some remainrdquo says Ghyar ldquoSo we follow a reverse icemaking process where the water freezes from bottom to top The particles float up and can easily be discarded We carve shapes from the slab using a serrated knife and a pointed chipping toolrdquoAnnu Kumar founder of JUSTice uses machines like chainsaw to cut slabs of ice into smaller blocksPCO uses a combination of chainsaw and Japanese knife ldquoWe use water refined using a highgrade RO Reverse Osmosis filtration process the same used in our foodrdquo says Delhibased Rakshay Dhariwal managing director at Pass Code Hospitality the parent firm His team has been doing this since 2015 and has mastered the craftThe demand for large blocks of crystal clear frozen water is the reason behind the existence of firms such as citybased Premium Ice and Delhirsquos JUSTice ldquoAbout a decade ago Grey Goosersquos brand ambassador was visiting various bars in India and I accompanied himrdquo says Annu Kumar a former bartender ldquoWherever he would go he would stress upon the ice That stayed with merdquo Kumar went on to form JUSTice in 2021 The momentum came from the realisation that no Indian establishment made it to the list of best bars in the world The pandemic made room to thinkRohan Rege Rakshay Dhariwal and Vikram AchantaKumarrsquos attention focuses on the base H2O ldquoI used twicefiltered water to reduce minerals making it as neutral as possiblerdquo he says Here too ice is frozen such that impurities are pushed to the top and can be easily removed It takes three to four days to create a 150 kg block ldquoA sudden change in temperature could make the ice vulnerable to breakagerdquo he explains ldquoItrsquos vital that the temperature decrease gradually every 10 to 12 hours slowing down the freezing process that leads to fewer impuritiesrdquo Hacksaws and chainsaws are used to cut the block ldquoItrsquos a dangerous taskrdquo he says ldquoThe block can weigh 150 kg and the ice is slipperyrdquo His company provides ice in cubes bars and spheres The last shape he says needs manual carving and is the trickiest Closer home Premium Ice relies entirely on imported machinery to shape crystal clear ice and is one of the leaders in the market Introduced to address the concerns around hygiene they rely on RO filtered water doublewrapped their ice in food grade plastic and transport it in insulated boxeswith dry iceldquoBesides hygiene and quality as well a clear and bigger block of ice also adds to the visual presentation and the customer entering a premium bar is definitely paying attention to the ice added to his or her drinkrdquo says Achanta of 30 Best Bars India adding that if cities like Mumbai Delhi and Goa want to be seen on the world cocktail scene ldquothen they should know that anybody a mixologist or brand ambassador of a premium liquor brand coming to their bar would be paying attention to the quality and clarity of the icerdquoWe guess that itrsquos time to respect the supporting actor in a story where the spirit is the hero