There’s a whole science to Mixology, and it starts with the most basic element:Â ICE
Now while the above video is all about making crystal clear ice (a really neat trick!), one thing most people never think about is the temperature of ice. If someone asked a manager, customer or the bartender “How COLD is the ice behind the bar?” Most would likely laugh and answer “Why, 32 degrees of course, it’s ‘ICE'” (That was my answer the first time I read the statement that it’s important to make sure the ice behind the bar is cold.)
The fact is though that there is no reason ice can’t just get colder and colder (outside of the extreme price involved) until it reaches absolute zero. What’s important about that is that a bar with ice bins filled with ice that’s 32 degrees doesn’t have cold ice. It has ice that’s one degree away from water; you can’t make properly chilled drinks with it.
If your bar is busy and you’re constantly going through ice all night long, don’t worry about changing it, but if you’re on during the day or when it’s slow, particularly if the bar has been shut down overnight, melt the ice and fill it up with fresh ice. Your customers will appreciate it.
Site Author, David Jonathan Curtis: David Jonathan Curtis, a seasoned professional in his fifth decade of bartending and bar management, began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in both iconic Midtown clubs and Wall Street bars, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.
