Hate it when the summer heat melts everything in your drink and all you’re left with is a diluted cup of flavorless liquid? Though there’s not much we can do to help stop your ice cubes from melting, (but do try to stay in cool areas or consider getting an insulated container) here’s an idea: make flavored ice cubes!
The brilliance is the simplicity — all you do is pour a drink of your choice into an ice tray, freeze it, and use those ice cubes in a drink that compliments your ice cube flavor. You get to keep your drink cool while still not endangering the delectable taste of your drink. Go ahead and try this with coffee, smoothies, tea, or even beer or champagne!
If you’re in the mood to try something a little fancier, check out this chocolate ice cube recipe, which combines instant coffee and chocolate, and melts to swirl into the blogger’s recommended vanilla milk.
Also, make your designs fancier and flirtier by buying special ice tray molds with their own unique shapes!
Now that you’ve got the basics of flavored ice-cubing, mix up your summer with some flirty fun and try some of these ice cube designs:
DESIGN 1: LAYERS
Give your ice some extra stripes by adding flavors to the cube! Layer each flavor of your choice on top of each other, making sure that the layer underneath has had sufficient time to freeze completely. Some ideas include layering pink lemonade with tangerine and pomegranate juice, or even layering chocolate milk with coffee and Irish cream.
A recipe for your consideration:
8 tablespoons pink lemonade
8 tablespoons pomegranate juice
4 tablespoons black currant juice
8 tablespoons pink lemonade
DESIGN 2: FLOWERS
Elegant and unique, flowers suspended in ice cubes in a tall glass of water is about as classy as it gets. To avoid the cloudy ice cube effect that can distort the image of your flower, make sure the water you use has been boiled and re-chilled, so as to remove the impurities that show up when frozen. Give your flower the ‘dancing in an ice cube’ look by layering the flower in the middle of the ice cube.
Note: it would be wise to stay away from poisonous flowers or flowers that have been treated with chemicals.
DESIGN 3: FRUIT
A great way to use up your fruit if you don’t think you’ll finish them before they spoil, fruit frozen in ice cubes and used in your drink makes for a fun drink, giving it a colorful and decorative quality.
A recipe for your consideration:
Mix strawberry, blueberry, and kiwi pieces in a bowl
Scoop the fruit into each section of the ice tray
Fill the empty spaces with sparkling water
Freeze, then serve!
Beautiful and easy ways to decorate your summer days, the possibilities for your ice cube creations are only limited to your imagination.
Sources:
http://blog.brightnest.com/2012/03/23/clean-water-creative-ice-cubes/
http://www.marthastewart.com/348299/floral-ice-cubes
http://spoonforkbacon.com/2011/09/flavored-ice-cubes/
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/301569/striped-ice-cubes-recipe