Spherical ice doesn't just look great in a drink, it has practical advantages too. Today we're going to look at two trays that can be used for making spherical, er, "cubes" at home. And as an added bonus, we'll be talking to cocktail ice expert Camper English as well.
Why Use Spherical Ice?
Before we get started testing spherical ice makers, it's worth stopping a moment to consider the benefits of using the round stuff in the first place. Of course there's the obvious aesthetic appeal. An oversized crystalline sphere can be quite mesmerizing to look at nestled in a tumbler of whiskey, spinning slowly as you turn the glass this way and that. But there are practical advantages to this shape too. Because a sphere has the smallest surface area of any shape relative to its mass, a ball-shaped piece of ice will melt more slowly, keeping things cool but producing less watery dilution during the time it takes you to finish your drink.
Which Ice Maker to Choose?
Spherical ice first took off as a cocktail-bar trend in Tokyo, so it should come as no surprise that two spherical "trays" currently most readily available on the U.S. market are of Japanese origin (MUJI is a no-frills Japanese design brand; the tray stocked by the U.S.-based Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) gift shop is Japanese-made). This week I test-drove both and found advantages and disadvantages to each.
MoMA's Spherical Ice Tray Set
Price: $16 for a set of 2 double-sphere trays online (Note: I purchased a single double-ball tray for $8 at MoMA's brick-and-mortar store in NYC)
Size of Ice Spheres: 2-inch diameter
Dishwasher safe?: Yes
Freezing time: approx. 4-5 hours (in my freezer, anyway)
(Side note: I don't know if you'll consider this a pro or a con, but this particular model is a little bit anatomically suggestive, don't you think? Glad we got that out of the way.)
Pros: Makes 2 spheres at once. Quick and easy to fill. Hard plastic is less likely to absorb odors.
Cons: A little messier to fill as water sometimes sloshes over the edges (it's best to perform this operation in the sink). Top and bottom pieces sometimes separate during the freezing process, creating an extra ridge of ice around the equator of the sphere. Must bring to room temperature - or run under cool water - to release frozen spheres from mold.
MUJI Silicone Ice Ball Maker
Price: $11.75 for a single sphere
Size of Ice Sphere: 2 1/4-inches diameter
Dishwasher safe?: Yes
Freezing time: approx. 4-5 hours (in my freezer)
Pros: The silicone "lid" peels off quickly and easily, and the ice sphere releases cleanly with less risk of cracking.
Cons: Makes only one sphere at a time. The directions that come with the product say not to fill the mold up all the way, but to leave some room for expansion of the ice. This involves some guesswork. I haven't used this particular model long enough yet to determine this for sure, but know from experience with other silicone ice trays that the material will sometimes absorb unpleasant food odors from the freezer.
My Take-Away
I'm completely sold on the spherical "cube" concept. The rye whiskey I tested them out with stayed cool without getting too watery, and there was even a fair-sized piece of ice left in the glass when I finished (something that rarely happens when I use regular cubes). Although both the MoMA and MUJI models have their pros and cons, I'd consider either one a good choice for regular home use.
One thing I was frustrated with on the aesthetic side, though, was the lack of clarity in the ice. With high (and naive) hopes of attaining a perfectly clear crystalline form, I tried the standard trick of using filtered water to remove impurities and boiling it before putting the trays in the freezer so that it would take longer to freeze, allowing the air bubbles more time to escape. But it was all to no avail. Frustrated, I decided to consult an expert on cocktail ice: Camper English
Camper's Method
Journalist and founder of the cocktail blog Alcademics.com Camper English knows a thing or two about ice. In a quest to produce a perfectly clear block, he spent nearly a year experimenting with the stuff, testing and re-testing, filtering and refiltering, freezing and refreezing.
I asked him: What am I doing wrong? How can I make a perfectly clear sphere of ice?
Well, to make a long story short, it turns out there is a way, but it doesn't involve using either of the molds I tested. Camper explained that the problem with the molds is that the ice will begin to form on the outside first, driving air bubbles and impurities to the center of the sphere, where they'll inevitably stay trapped.
Camper did, however, discover a way to make a perfectly clear block of ice in his home freezer. You can read all about his ingenious method on his blog, Alcademics.com here. Hint: "It's all about controlling the direction of the freezing."
Okay, so far so good. But, in the absence of advanced ice-carving skills, how can you possibly go from a block to a sphere? Well, there is one way...
Once one of his blocks was ready, Camper brought it over to a bar across the street from him and tried out one of these astounding - albeit pricey - machines that reshape ice using pressure and heat. The final result? A beautifully clear, seamlessly shaped sphere. Okay, maybe not the most accessible option for most of us, but nice to know it can be done.
Have you ever had a drink with spherical ice? Ever made it a home?
Buy the Ice Makers Online:
Further Reading:
Related: How to Make the Best Ice for Summer Cocktails
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf.
Nora Maynard is a longtime home mixologist and an occasional instructor at NYC’s Astor Center. She is a contributor to The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries and is the recipient of the American Egg Board Fellowship in culinary writing at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. She previously covered food and drink in film at The Kitchn in her weekly column, The Celluloid Pantry.
(Images: Nora Maynard)
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Maker's Mark sent these out to their "Ambassadors" as a Christmas gift this year! Love mine! (and no, I do not get my parking tickets rescinded for being an Ambassador...ha! You can be one too!
http://tinyurl.com/2bpyar8
(I am not a shill))
What in interesting quest. There's a lot of physics that go into the shape of an ice cube. Cubes melt exponentially. Spheres would melt more gradually. Creating a clear, spherical ice "cube" would be a labor of love.
We got the Maker's Mark version as well. They're great!
I bought the MoMa trays for my husband as a gift a couple of years ago and we've definitely gotten our money's worth out of them.
People that come to our cocktail parties are always surprised and intrigued by the ice spheres, and it makes for fun conversation!
I also received the Maker's Mark version. I made them once for New Year's, but I found it really hard to get the spheres to come out of the tray. They were pretty cool, though.
They're pretty, but I just imagine it rolling out and bopping me in the nose when I try to take the last few sips. Ouch.
I've been using the MoMA tray for about two years, and I love it. The ice spheres are great for a big old fashioned glass. I most recently used a sphere for a cognac bittered sling, a drink like an old fashioned with nutmeg grated over it. The nutmeg landed on the top of the sphere, which was sticking up out of the drink. It was perfect: the aroma of the ntumeg hit your nose and you took a drink.
they use them at the W hotel POV in DC if you are looking for the experience without the hassle. :)
I'm so glad you did this write-up! I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these ice trays but wondered if it was worth the price. Thanks!
I read about how to make clear ice spheres once. I believe they used distilled water and boiled it once, let it come to room temp, boiled it again cooling again to room temp before freezing. I'm sure you can do a search and find out yourself. It was a bartending site.
I remember reading a travel piece on super fancy bars in Tokyo a few years ago and they spent a whole page talking about the ice. I thought it was so cool and interesting but I was underage at the time. And my parents' don't drink. Thanks for reminding me to try this now.
For God's sake, just relax and put some ice cubes in your drink. If it melts too fast, then drink faster. This seems like a "first world problem" if I've ever heard one. http://whitewhine.com/
I received the Makers Mark gift as well. It's the MoMA mold x2. So, a trick I learned to get around one of the stated cons - get a really small screwdriver (I use the smallest from this Radio Shack set - http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3932535)
You just push the screwdriver through that hole to nudge the sphere out. No damage to the tray or sphere. Takes a little pressure and you may have to get through some ice build up on the outside of the mold, but it works a charm without having to use warm water.
On the clear ice front, I've ironically found that the best/clearest cubes I get are from the trays I put in my mini fridge from Target (though it has a true separate freezer). I think it's because it's a crappier freezer than a full fridge and thus freezes more slowly...?? The cubes in my Tovolo silicone trays come out VERY nicely.
That really came off like a commercial, but I do like to geek out on ice (unlike rebeccam, I guess!)
i'm wondering about a DIY for these... the first thing that popped into my head was a plastic easter egg... but i think those may be too flimsy. ideas, anyone?
I was first introduced to spherical ice when I ordered bourbon in Tokyo. At first, I thought it was unnecessarily flashy and complicated. But then I realized that the ice melted very slowly and gave a little bit of water to my drink, but not too much, and realized the concept was pretty neat.
I didn't see any bars using spherical molds, though. They would start with a block of ice and actually chip it into a spherical shape. It's a level of service that you're not likely to get very often in America.
If you live in Los Angeles there is a little store in Little Tokyo across from the Sanrio store that sells a version of this for $4 that makes 3 balls of ice!
Made these Ice Spheres and loved how much slower it melted my bourbon. Used a Simon Pearce Double Old Fashioned glass, just beautiful. :)