Ice...Ice...Baby?

[smokinjoe]

42 minutes ago, JCwhammie said:

I have no problem with someone drinking GTS with a cube, but it's not something I would do. Sometimes I'll put one in a pour of WTRB during the summer, or I'll put one in a glass of RR SIB rye when having a cigar. To each their own

 

If you're wanting an inexpensive, non gimmicky, fool proof way to make clear ice, watch this link. I've done this numerous times with zero issues. It's also nice that you can control the size and shape of your ice.

 

 

Thanks for that Whammie.  I want to try that.  

[JCwhammie]

41 minutes ago, smokinjoe said:

Thanks for that Whammie.  I want to try that.  

No problem, Joe. 

[Phil T]

3 hours ago, JCwhammie said:

I have no problem with someone drinking GTS with a cube, but it's not something I would do. Sometimes I'll put one in a pour of WTRB during the summer, or I'll put one in a glass of RR SIB rye when having a cigar. To each their own

 

If you're wanting an inexpensive, non gimmicky, fool proof way to make clear ice, watch this link. I've done this numerous times with zero issues. It's also nice that you can control the size and shape of your ice.

 

 

I watched the video, the guy is a little windy, but his method seems solid and has me intrigued. However, who has room in their freezer for a freaking cooler?

Edited December 5, 2019 by Phil T

[JCwhammie]

39 minutes ago, Phil T said:

I watched the video, the guy is a little windy, but his method seems solid and has me intrigued. However, who has room in their freezer for a freaking cooler?

The cooler I use is the Igloo cube, which is essentially a cubic foot in size. We have a freezer in our garage that I put it in, otherwise I'd be SOL. 

[Bob_Loblaw]

40 minutes ago, Phil T said:

I watched the video, the guy is a little windy, but his method seems solid and has me intrigued. However, who has room in their freezer for a freaking cooler?

I have dabbled with the clear ice and do spheres.  I am only able to get 85-90% clear. However, he is correct, it is MUCH more work for only 4 pieces at at time.  I may look into this setup in the future. 

 

I will say this.  Once you get used to the clear Ice it will 100% ruin you on large cubes that are no clear and regular freezer cubes.  The difference is astronomical.  

[Phil T]

2 minutes ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

I have dabbled with the clear ice and do spheres.  I am only able to get 85-90% clear. However, he is correct, it is MUCH more work for only 4 pieces at at time.  I may look into this setup in the future. 

 

I will say this.  Once you get used to the clear Ice it will 100% ruin you on large cubes that are no clear and regular freezer cubes.  The difference is astronomical.  

I am definitely going to try it, but we have a lot of food to eat first.

[Phil T]

4 minutes ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

I have dabbled with the clear ice and do spheres.  

How do you do the spheres Ben?

[Bob_Loblaw]

12 minutes ago, Phil T said:

How do you do the spheres Ben?

Same concept with directional freezing and a, just lots more work for a smaller yield.  I think it will be hard to describe so I will start a batch today or tomorrow and post pictures.

 

I may start messing around with the cooler version by leaving it outside for 24 hours this winter.  Not have to worry about freezer space.

[Steven C]

11 minutes ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

I may start messing around with the cooler version by leaving it outside for 24 hours this winter.  Not have to worry about freezer space.

Farmer's Almanac saying those of us in the Upper Midwest will have PLENTY of opportunity for this!

[Harry in WashDC]

I have a friend who likes scotch and diet Coke over ice.  After seeing that, nothing bothers me. 

 

Funny about the GTS, though.  I drink my 2014 neat although once I did add water and did a drop-sip-rest-drop-sip-rest (repeat until gone) just to see how the taste changed.  When I drink it neat, one ounce will last a good half hour, and I only have one.  The 2018 I picked up in SEP, however, is good to VG but not as creamy.  I do put half a small cube (about 1/16 oz. of water) in it more often than not and slow sip.  Summer - lower proof, lower shelves, beer fridge chilled instead of ice OR sometimes ice when I need a refresher but don't want to drink beer.  EXCEPT for OGD 114 which is always 2 OZ. plus a small ice cube (about 1/8 OZ of water).  Higher proofs when drinking neat are reduced in volume - baseline is 2 OZ for 90-100 proof and gradually less as proof increases.  EXCEPT for OGD 114.  That 1/8 OZ hits a sweet spot.

 

Nothing anal about me and my bourbon,  Just saying.

Edited December 5, 2019 by Harry in WashDC

[The Black Tot]

11 hours ago, MJWP said:

The right way to drink bourbon is anyway you like it ...... 

My cousin used to put ketchup on corn flakes.

 

That shizz was wrong.

 

It doesn't matter how he liked it.

Edited December 5, 2019 by The Black Tot

[Steven C]

9 minutes ago, The Black Tot said:

My cousin used to put ketchup on corn flakes.

 

That shizz was wrong.

 

It doesn't matter how he liked it.

TBT is kinda where I'm at on this...but I want to make a distinction here that I think is worth making.  

 

I tried to anticipate in the OP that folks would point out that "people can drink their whiskey anyway they want to."  I have no problem with that principle at all. What I was curious about was something else... and to be precise it was really two things: 

 

1) How do you approach ice, and does that approach change as the quality of the booze goes up? (Thanks to those of you who replied about that!)

 

2) I was also curious about how you *feel* when you see really good booze getting poured over a cube, cubes, rock...etc.  I started that ball rolling by admitting that such a sight  "always makes me grimace a little." 

 

That doesn't mean I don't recognize the right of others to do their own thing, whether with BIB's or tip-top-shelf booze. 

 

It just means that when I see a bottle — one  I'll probably never even touch — drowning a big ol' cube, it makes *me* a little queasy. I wondered if others felt that same discomfort — general-booze-freedom notwithstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fishnbowljoe]

Not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that boiling water gets rid of impurities. Boil water. Let it cool. Pour it into the ice cube tray of your choice. Put in freezer. 

 

Biba! Joe

[CUfan99]

13 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that boiling water gets rid of impurities. Boil water. Let it cool. Pour it into the ice cube tray of your choice. Put in freezer. 

 

Biba! Joe

Don’t work. It’s not so much impurities but air that’s frozen into the ice that causes cloudiness. Directional freezing captures the air in the top layer leaving clear ice below. You have to cut/chip the top cloudy layer off. 

[Kane]

22 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that boiling water gets rid of impurities. Boil water. Let it cool. Pour it into the ice cube tray of your choice. Put in freezer. 

 

Biba! Joe

It's true. It involves removing 1) dissolved gases (anything in the atmosphere really) and 2) dissolved minerals (mostly magnesium and calcium, too old to remember the exact details though). Starting with distilled water also helps. You can mess it up again if you don't freeze it properly though.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Kane

[Kane]

2 minutes ago, Kane said:

It's true. It involves removing 1) dissolved gases (anything in the atmosphere really) and 2) dissolved minerals (mostly magnesium and calcium, too old to remember the exact details though). Starting with distilled water also helps. You can mess it up again if you don't freeze it properly though.

And to clarify, it's true that you remove the so-called impurities. It doesn't necessarily produce clear ice since you will reintroduce the dissolved gases if you just chuck it in a standard tray.

[The Black Tot]

56 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

Not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that boiling water gets rid of impurities. Boil water. Let it cool. Pour it into the ice cube tray of your choice. Put in freezer. 

Boiling water will kill bacteria, but it will CONCENTRATE the non-biological impurities like chlorine.

 

The water steams out, the same amount of impurities are now in a smaller amount of water.

 

Like a reduction, only still visibly the same density as water.

 

There are some pretty cool little water treatment plants one can buy for the home, that reverse osmosis out the impurities, and then add the right balance of minerals back in for taste. I read a little bit up on them, but I never bought/installed one, being the rental gypsy that I still am...

[EarthQuake]

11 hours ago, Kane said:

 

I've actually tried that product after my post in the thread. The cubes look some of the best I've achieved at home, but getting them to taste & smell right (i.e., completely neutral) is still a lot of work that needs freezer inventory management and water preprocessing. I'm not even sure if the mold itself plays a part, although I admit unlike cheapo molds there's no obvious plastic taste with this one. In the end I decided it's not worth the effort.

Interesting, I don't have any problem with taste or smell. I've tried with filtered water and distilled water and didn't notice a difference in taste, but we have good water right from the tap. I tend to make them and use them in short order though, so like you say, inventory management is important with any form of ice.

[EarthQuake]

6 hours ago, Phil T said:

I watched the video, the guy is a little windy, but his method seems solid and has me intrigued. However, who has room in their freezer for a freaking cooler?

Yeah the cooler method works but is a major pain in the butt. We have a side by side fridge/freezer so most coolers are a no go. That's why the little mold set I posted earlier in the thread is great. It's the same concept - an insulated case which freezes top down, and then take it out before the bottom is frozen so all the air is forced down and you can easily separate the good part of the use, but a lot smaller footprint and easier to use. Just fill it with water, wait 22-24 hours or so, open it up and run a bit of water over the frozen bits stuck to the bottom and pop them out. Not counting the freezing, it takes only a few minutes to make them

Edited December 6, 2019 by EarthQuake

[Kane]

1 hour ago, The Black Tot said:

Boiling water will kill bacteria, but it will CONCENTRATE the non-biological impurities like chlorine.

 

The water steams out, the same amount of impurities are now in a smaller amount of water.

 

Like a reduction, only still visibly the same density as water.

 

There are some pretty cool little water treatment plants one can buy for the home, that reverse osmosis out the impurities, and then add the right balance of minerals back in for taste. I read a little bit up on them, but I never bought/installed one, being the rental gypsy that I still am...

It doesn't work like a reduction actually, because you don't need to bring the water to a boil and keep it there for any length of time. Just heating and barrier filtering is valid for at least mg and ca bicarbonates which makes a visible difference in your cubes. Which is irrelevant, I'm going for the cooler method now that I know that

[JCwhammie]

My pour for the night. This is using the cooler method with water filtered from my refrigerator. I added the side view to show how much is in the glass. And yes, that same cube is there in the side pour.

Our water in STL is honestly as good/tasteless as any water there is, so if your tap water has chlorine flavor or is gippy, you should use bottled water. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by JCwhammie

[EarthQuake]

1 hour ago, Kane said:

It doesn't work like a reduction actually, because you don't need to bring the water to a boil and keep it there for any length of time. Just heating and barrier filtering is valid for at least mg and ca bicarbonates which makes a visible difference in your cubes. Which is irrelevant, I'm going for the cooler method now that I know that

I've tried the heating method and the ice cubes just looks slightly less awful. Not really a viable solution if you want clear cubes. Cooler or one of the clear cube molds is the way to go for sure.

[flahute]

6 hours ago, Steven C said:

TBT is kinda where I'm at on this...but I want to make a distinction here that I think is worth making.  

 

I tried to anticipate in the OP that folks would point out that "people can drink their whiskey anyway they want to."  I have no problem with that principle at all. What I was curious about was something else... and to be precise it was really two things: 

 

1) How do you approach ice, and does that approach change as the quality of the booze goes up? (Thanks to those of you who replied about that!)

 

2) I was also curious about how you *feel* when you see really good booze getting poured over a cube, cubes, rock...etc.  I started that ball rolling by admitting that such a sight  "always makes me grimace a little." 

 

That doesn't mean I don't recognize the right of others to do their own thing, whether with BIB's or tip-top-shelf booze. 

 

It just means that when I see a bottle — one  I'll probably never even touch — drowning a big ol' cube, it makes *me* a little queasy. I wondered if others felt that same discomfort — general-booze-freedom notwithstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ketchup on corn flakes is wrong. Ice in a Stagg is not.

Elmer fucking T. Lee liked his bourbon with Sprite. Is anyone here going to tell him he was wrong?

People take bourbon way too seriously.  

[Kane]

3 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

I've tried the heating method and the ice cubes just looks slightly less awful. Not really a viable solution if you want clear cubes. Cooler or one of the clear cube molds is the way to go for sure.

Oh it's totally impracticle and not worth the effort  I'm just being pedantic and annoying on the science front.

[GeeTen]

2 hours ago, Kane said:

 I'm just being pedantic and annoying on the science front.

 

Totally!   

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by GeeTen