Cracked ice

Ice

Cracked ice is a cube split by hand into a few large chunks, which chills a stirred drink faster than whole cubes.

What Cracked ice means

Cracked ice changes how fast a stirred drink gets cold. Breaking a cube adds a few new edges, which speeds up the chill. You will see it in stirred drinks, where bartenders add it for that reason.

A lot of home bartenders assume cracked ice and crushed ice are the same thing. They are not. Cracked ice is a few large pieces, so it dilutes faster than whole cubes but much more slowly than crushed ice. The difference matters when a recipe asks for one and you use the other.

Cracking ice at home needs no special kit. A bar spoon or a mallet is enough, and a clean towel helps when you crack several cubes at once. The steps below show both approaches. Crack only what the drink needs, so the rest of the cubes stay whole until you want them.

How to make cracked ice at home

You need a few cubes and either a bar spoon for one cube or a towel and a mallet for several.

1.Hold one cube in your palm and strike it with the back of a bar spoon until it splits into a few pieces.
2.Wrap several cubes in a clean towel and tap them with a mallet or rolling pin.
3.Stop tapping while the pieces are still large, before they turn into crushed ice.
4.Crack the ice just before you use it, since the fresh, exposed center chills fastest.
5.Put the pieces into a mixing glass with the other ingredients and stir, as the recipe says.

Cracked ice compared

Crushed iceCracked ice is one cube split into a few big chunks. Crushed ice is those pieces broken down much finer, and it melts faster.
Cubed iceWhole cubes keep their cold center sealed. Cracking one opens that center and adds surface, so it chills and dilutes faster.

Related terms

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.