How to Make Special Ice Cubes

You can make ice cubes in unusual colors and shapes.

Serving beverages with special ice cubes shows your attention to detail at events ranging from cocktail parties and weddings to everyday meals. You can add color and flavor to ice cubes and freeze them in unusual shapes. Flavored ice cubes prevent drinks from becoming watery, which happens when plain ice cubes melt. Add special ice cubes to drinks such as lemonade, punch, water and certain alcoholic drinks that call for ice cubes.

Things You'll Need

• Food coloring
• Flavor extracts or syrup
• Fruit juice
• Berries
• Mint leaves
• Fruit
• Ice cube trays

Instructions

1. Add food coloring or concentrated flavor extract to the liquid you wish to freeze. Stir the liquid well. Your options for the base liquid include juice, plain water and soda. Choose a liquid that goes well with the drinks you plan to serve. If you are using a blend of juice and water, mix the two liquids together thoroughly. You can also flavor ice cubes with syrup rather than flavor extract. Use approximately 2 tbsp. of flavored syrup per 1 cup of liquid.

2. Place decorative or flavor additions in the ice cube trays. Such additions include mint leaves, berries, pieces of fruit or ginger, edible flowers and other edible decorative items. Use ice cube trays suitable for the drinks you plan to serve. Specialized ice cube trays with creative shapes could make more interesting ice cubes.

3. Fill the ice cube trays with liquid. Use cold liquid if adding fruit and decorative items to ice cubes. Use boiling liquid, rather than cold liquid, if you plan to infuse flavor from mint leaves, ginger pieces or any other additions that could release flavor.

4. Leave ice cube trays in the freezer until the ice cubes are frozen solid. Freezing time varies based on ice cube size, freezer temperature and the initial temperature of the liquid. To ensure that you have special ice cubes for an event, freeze ice cubes the night before. Remove the ice cubes from the freezer immediately before serving, so that they do not melt.

Tips & Warnings

• Make rainbow ice cubes by pouring a small amount of one color of liquid into each section of an ice tray. Freeze until solid. Remove ice tray from freezer, add a layer of another color and freeze until solid. Repeat the process until the ice tray is full.

• If you cannot find special ice cube trays, use plastic candy and chocolate molds instead.

References

• Fabulous Foods: Flavored Ice Cubes
• Metro Parent: Pack a Party Punch with Fun Beverages
• Allrecipes.com: Mint Ice Cubes

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish