You might have heard of these tools before, or this could be your first time hearing about them. Either way, most people find themselves confused as to what an ice ball press is, and more importantly, why should they care? Those are fair points, and as a company whose flagship product is an ice press, we'd like to give you a fair explanation as to the purpose these tools serve in the bars they are kept.
Whether you're looking to enjoy a glass of a hard-to-find bourbon on the rocks, or you're looking for a way to keep your latest favorite cocktail chilled, the ice you use inevitably plays a huge part in your experience with your drink. As enthusiasts of our craft, every aspect of our drink should be the result of thoughtful consideration to make an excellent experience.
Taking this back to middle school geometry, the sphere is the shape with the lowest possible surface area. This mathematical fact makes it so that when ice takes a spherical form, it forms the least amount of contact with your drink, resulting in slow and even melting. This part is important, because whether you're drinking straight spirits or a cocktail, the intended effect is to chill down the drink; not to turn it into something that is watered-down and a shell of what it once was.
Now, the concept of an ice sphere isn't new. Many of us that love our spirits have seen dozens of variations of ice molds that are designed to be filled with water and stuck into a freezer, freezing the water into spherical ice. For the express purpose of making balls of ice, this works! And most importantly, their cheap construction and materials make ice ball molds very cost effective at doing so.
With that in mind, why bother with ice sphere presses? These tools are large, machined pieces of metal, which inevitably increases the cost of a product. The answer lies in the quality of the ice sphere. When an ice ball is frozen inside of a mold, its inevitable for imperfections to form inside and outside of the ice. These ice balls will be prone to cracking after a few seconds inside a drink, and tend to show the seams and fill holes of the mold itself. Pressed ice balls will melt slower and have a far more appealing spherical shape (as funny as that sounds).
While subjective, it's worth talking about the design and experience associated with ice presses. They are large, heavy, industrial-feeling tools that have an imposing presence no matter the situation. Whether you integrate it into your personal routine for making drinks at the end of the day, or if it becomes a conversation piece during gatherings with friends and family, using an ice press comes with many great times to look forward to that a simple ice mold struggles to replicate.
The big differentiator is that price point. Ice spheres that come from ice ball presses are not 10x better than those of ice molds, but they can be 10x or more in price. That decision is ultimately yours; are you looking for the cheapest way to make spherical ice, or are you looking for a tool that will last a lifetime and make absolutely perfect ice spheres?
Hopefully this all clears up the mystery behind ice ball presses. Of course, I think that they are fantastic tools that can serve as centerpieces for any home bar enthusiast's barware collection. Now that you know a little more about ice presses, what do you think?
P.S. Because I can't go one post without shamelessly plugging our own Ice Ball Press, you should check it out that this link :)
