Like chefs in the back of the house, bartenders and mixologists are getting quite crafty in front of the house as well. This current renaissance of cocktail culture has brought with it many revived classics and new-fangled drinks, as well as a new appreciation for the handcrafted cocktail and all of the accouterments that come with it (and we're not talking about random cola or juice mixers here) — aged bitters, liqueurs, fruit zests, egg whites, and the list goes on.
But if you've ever bellied up to the bar of an establishment that prides itself in being a place to go for the "real deal" in cocktails and watched them deftly mix and stir your drinks, you may have also noticed that even the ice cubes get special attention. Ice comes in many forms at these types of bars — cubed, crushed, large blocks, rounded balls, etc. — and certain types of cocktails call for specific forms of ice. Prepared to be schooled.
There are four basic forms of ice used: cube, cracked, shaved and block/ball.
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.