The social distancing drinker

Many people know that the Russian Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Trotsky was murdered in Mexico in 1940 with an ice pick. Today, an assassin would struggle to find an ice pick in all but the best-equipped kitchens. Few people give ice much thought these days, which is a shame, because ice is an important component of many summer drinks.

Ice comes in all shapes and sizes, but there are four basic types of ice: cubes, shaved, cracked and ball. Cubes should usually be as large as possible; the bigger the cube, the less your drink is diluted. Shaved ice is good for children’s drinks like slushies but it rarely improves a cocktail. Cracked ice, on the other hand, is ideal for frozen daiquiris and margaritas. The Japanese love large ice balls to cool their whiskey and this can be very pleasant, but is unlikely to ever catch on here.

Ice machines have replaced ice picks and the best are made by Hoshizaki,

U-Line, and Sub Zero, but they are bulky and expensive. Cheap ice machines are slow to produce ice and are simply not worth the bother. Most of us will probably never want to buy a machine, but we can still take a few precautions to ensure that the ice we use improves our drinks.

The first rule is not to use the plastic trays you generally get in the supermarket — these often produce tiny ice cubes. Buy yourself proper trays, ideally made from steel, which make decent-sized cubes that are two or three centimetres long.

The next rule is to use boiled water, which produces clearer and more beautiful ice cubes than cold water. Finally, place the ice tray away from spicy foods in the freezer, as ice can pick up flavours from nearby food.

Once you have decent ice cubes, the last thing to do is buy an attractive ice bucket. These are often to be found at auctions for almost nothing, but there are plenty of kitchen shops selling beautiful buckets and tongs these days. It may sound extravagant, but how else do you want to serve your ice at your first post-Covid 19 barbecue or party?