Crushed ice

Ice

Crushed ice is cubes smashed into small, grainy bits that chill and dilute a drink fast.

What Crushed ice means

Crushed ice does most of its work fast, as soon as it goes into the glass. Its small bits have far more surface than a cube, so they chill and thin a drink quickly. It is the ice you will find in juleps and tiki drinks.

It is easy to assume crushed ice waters a drink down, so they avoid it. In a swizzle, that quick dilution is the point. Crushed ice softens strong spirits, syrups and purees as it melts into them.

You do not need a special machine to make it at home. A Lewis bag, a clean tea towel or a blender each does the job, and the steps below cover all three. A towel and a rolling pin work too, so you may not need to buy anything.

How to make crushed ice at home

Pick one tool, a Lewis bag, a tea towel with a mallet or a blender, and crush the cubes just before you mix.

1.Chill the container you will store the ice in before you start.
2.Fill a Lewis bag with cubes and hit it with a wooden mallet. The canvas soaks up meltwater, so the ice comes out drier.
3.Wrap cubes in a clean tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin or mallet if you have no Lewis bag.
4.Pulse cubes in a blender or food processor in short bursts. Running the motor for long stretches melts the ice.
5.Crush the ice just before you build the drink, since crushed ice melts fast.

Crushed ice compared

Nugget iceCrushed ice is sharp, uneven bits that melt fast. Nugget ice is flakes pressed into pellets, so it is softer and slower to melt.
Cracked iceCracked ice is a few large chunks from one split cube. Crushed ice goes down to small, grainy bits and melts much faster.
Shaved iceShaved ice is planed off a block into fluffy flakes, finer than crushed ice.

Related terms

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.