Here at Craft Gin Club, not only do we like getting creative with our homemade cocktails and G&T combinations this summer, but we love discovering new ideas for garnishes! A good garnish can transform your drink - and these fabulously frozen ideas will not only add flavour to your G&T, they'll also keep it cool. Plus, they look incredible, if we do say so ourselves. Summer never tasted so good!
First, though, we’ve got a few handy general tips about how to make the best ice cubes at home. Let’s call them our bonus hacks!
To make really crystal clear ice cubes at home, use filtered or distilled water (to get rid of any tiny traces of detritus or chemicals that might make it cloudy) and boil the liquid.
Yes, boiling your water before freezing it will get rid of the little air bubbles that - when really, really small - can make your ice cubes more opaque.
Try bigger ice cube moulds and make as much as possible! A really great gin and tonic needs - yes, needs! - lots and lots of ice. There’s a scientific reason for that :the more ice there is in your drink, the colder it will be inside the glass, and therefore the slower the ice will melt - meaning less dilution, and more flavour, for you!
That said, a little dilution actually improves the flavour of some cocktails, so there’s no need to gulp your drink down too quickly!
We love the silicone ice cube trays (and in lots of different shapes) you can get for an easier way to dislodge the cubes without breaking them (or ending up with half of them all over the floor!). Alternatively, improvise and try using baking moulds - a muffin tray makes for a brilliant giant single sphere to go in your Negroni, or to make several huge cubes to go in your cocktail pitchers!
And now for our six top ice cube hacks to transform your cocktails:
1.Flower Ice Cubes
Lavender, roses, pansies and nasturtiums are among our favourite edible flowers to freeze into ice cubes for a beautiful and aromatic addition to your gin and tonic or gin cocktail.
Place the flowers in each ice cube slot. Fill a quarter of the way with water and freeze until solid. Top up with more water and re-freeze. This method will mean the flowers will be more visible in the ice.
2. Herb Garnish Ice Cubes
A brilliant way to use up any sprigs of shop-bought herbs to avoid having to throw them away, or to make use of an abundance of home-grown herbs. Fresh herbs are a classic cocktail garnish for gin, because they bring out the natural botanicals already present in the gin.
Combine with a little slice of complementary fruit for even more flavour: think rosemary and grapefruit, lemon and mint, or coriander and lime.
Give your fresh herbs a little wash before using - as well as being more healthy, this will also ensure the ice cubes are nice and clear once frozen (as the little bits of dust and residue will have been cleaned off). Trim or chop your herbs to fit in each ice cube slot and pour over water. Freeze overnight.
3. Fruit Ice Cubes
Of course, some people prefer to do away with the ice element of this idea, and go straight for the frozen fruit! However, as these will melt more quickly than ice cubes, you’ll need a lot of them to create what we would suggest is enough of a cooling effect on your drink. Plus, these fruity ice cubes look amazing!
To make them, simply wash your fruit and place it whole, or sliced, into each ice cube slot and fill with water and freeze overnight. We love using fruits that are big enough to use whole - raspberries, blueberries, grapes, but equally effective are slices of lemon, lime, strawberry and kiwi.
4. Glitter Ice Cubes
Okay, first things first: please make sure that the glitter or stars/shapes you’re using for these fabulous ice cubes is the edible kind! You’ll find edible glitter and decorations on the baking shelf of the supermarket or online.
The next thing to remember is to make a batch of ice cubes WITHOUT the glitter, initially. Most of these products are sugar-based, so if you add the glitter to the unfrozen water, you will find that it probably simply dissolves and just colours the water. So, once the ice cubes are frozen solid, then add the glitter to the outside of the cubes by either patting it or painting it on (depending what type of glitter you are using). Re-freeze the cubes for another couple of hours to make sure the glitter sticks to the cubes.
5. Coffee Ice Cubes
Coffee ice cubes are a delicious way to inject your cocktails with a fabulous hit of flavour! We love using them in creamy, sweet cocktails like this Orange Russian, or you could turn one of our Espresso Martini cocktail recipes into a boozy iced coffee to sip on this summer!
The simplest version of these flavoursome ice cubes just requires pouring your espresso into ice moulds and leaving to freeze overnight. For a sweeter, creamier and all-round naughtier version, add a little condensed milk to the mixture before freezing.
6. Fruit Juice Ice Cubes
For a tasty alternative to plain ice cubes, why not try freezing your favourite fruit juice? As well as keeping your drink icy cold and refreshing, you'll get a subtle infusion of flavour as it begins to melt - much nicer than a watered down gin!
For a real flavour explosion, try combining two different juices, for example, orange and raspberry, mango and pineapple, or apple and pear.
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