Clear Ice at Home: Molds, Spheres, Ice Buckets and Whiskey Stones

Clear ice comes from directional freezing: insulate the water on every side except one, so it freezes in one direction and pushes air and impurities to the end. An insulated mold does this for two 2 inch cubes at a time. A small picnic cooler with the lid off does it for a whole block.

How do bartenders get clear ice?

They control the direction of freezing. Camper English first explained the method on his site Alcademics in December 2009, and it is now used in commercial molds and in cocktail bars.

In an ordinary tray, cold air hits every side. Ice forms on the top, bottom and sides and freezes toward the middle. English explains that freezing water pushes trapped air and impurities away from the first part to freeze, so they end up in the center, which turns cloudy and cracks.

With directional freezing, the cloudy part ends up at one end instead, where it can be cut off.

How do you make clear ice in a home freezer?

The original method needs a small hard-sided cooler:

1. Fill the cooler with water.
2. Put it in the freezer with the lid off.
3. The water freezes from the top down. Only the last 25% or so turns cloudy.
4. Take the block out before it freezes through, or cut off the cloudy bottom.

A clear ice mold packs the same idea into a small box. The Viski mold below is made of silicone, plastic and styrofoam and is designed to freeze slowly.

Clear ice molds, sphere molds and large cube trays

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Which ice mold should you buy?

Large ice mold	Premium pickViski Glacier Rocks Clear Ice Maker	Accessible alternativeViski Glacier Ice Sphere Molds
Makes	Two 2 inch square cubes	Four ice spheres
How it works	Insulated design that freezes slowly for transparent ice	Plain silicone molds
Materials	Silicone, plastic, styrofoam	Silicone
Freeze time	See the maker's instructions	At least 4 hours
Care	Dishwasher safe	See the maker's page

Pay more if

clarity is the point, and two cubes per batch is enough.

Save if

you want large ice for four glasses at once.

For tall drinks, Cocktail Kingdom’s Collins ice mold makes spears 5.25 inches long and 1.25 inches square, in food-grade rubber that does not pass odors to the ice.

Large ice needs a wide glass. Check the inner width of your tumblers against a 2 inch cube before buying a mold. Our crystal whiskey glasses comparison lists sizes.

Why does large ice matter?

Surface area. Whisky Advocate’s comparison found that smaller ice made whisky colder, faster, because more surface touches the liquid. Large cubes melt slowly, so the drink stays strong for longer. Pick by the drink: large cubes for sipping, smaller ice for shaking.

Do whiskey stones work?

Less well than ice. Whisky Advocate, with an engineering professor from NYU, gives two reasons. Stones have a lower heat capacity than ice, so they warm up easily. And ice melts: the change from solid to liquid absorbs a large amount of heat, which stones cannot do.

Stones suit someone who wants a slightly cool drink with no added water. They do not replace ice.

What should an ice bucket do?

Keep ice cold, dry and clean for an evening. Look for a lid, tongs and either insulation or thick walls.

Ice bucket	Premium pickWaterford Lismore Essence Ice Bucket with Tongs	Accessible alternativeViski Harrison Insulated Ice Bucket
Material	Cut crystal, diamond and wedge pattern	Brushed stainless steel
Insulation	Single wall of crystal	Double-walled, insulated
Lid	None listed	Yes
Tongs	Included	Not listed
Capacity	See the maker's page	2 liters
Care	Hand washing recommended for Waterford crystal	Dishwasher safe

Pay more if

the bucket sits on show beside matching crystal glasses.

Save if

you want ice to last through a long evening, and a bucket the maker says can also chill a bottle.

Crystal and stainless steel ice buckets

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What about countertop clear ice machines?

They are appliances and sit outside this page. A machine makes many small cubes, not the large cubes and spheres covered here. If you want one, compare each maker’s stated daily output, cube size and cleaning routine.

Ice is one upgrade among several. The bar tools guide covers the tongs and spoons that handle it, the cocktail smoker guide covers the other popular upgrade, and the home bar setup overview puts them in order.