Want Cocktail-Ready Clear Ice? You Can Buy It At Aldi

The beauty of a clear ice cube can’t be understated. As someone who’s been a bartender for years, I would say that – but come on, surely you can agree. Large, crystal-clear ice cubes seem so easy to make in principle, but so hard to achieve in practice. Water’s clear, so why isn’t the ice you put in your freezer? Why can’t you produce those transparent cubes that you see swirling around in whiskey glasses? 

Videos by Sporked

I’ll get to why in a second (and you actually can) – but if you don’t want to tussle with the physics of directional freezing, you can get them at Aldi now. 

ALDI Crystal Clear Frozen Ice Cubes

Aldi has just dropped Crystal Clear Frozen Ice Cubes in its frozen section, and customers have already started to get their hands on them. Now, let me be clear about this: These are ice cubes, pure and simple. They cost $4.99 for a four-pack of large cubes, each of which would cool down a glass of liquor or a cocktail sufficiently without melting too quickly – and they’re clearly aimed at booze enthusiasts who value aesthetics and experience. For some people, they’ll be an extravagance; to others, they’ll solve a problem.

Regardless, though, people who have tried these ice cubes have found that they’re exactly what they say on the tin: They’re clear, they cool down a drink well, and they look good. That said, that price point is an issue for some early reviewers of the cubes. “Would I buy this product again? No. While the cube did make the drink yummy, as I previously asked, the price was quite exorbitant. A normal ice cube would have sufficed,” said one reviewer on Reddit. 

You Said I Could Just Do This At Home…

Yeah, you can. Clear ice isn’t made with special water: Instead, it’s frozen differently. The reason that ice looks cloudy when you freeze it in your standard ice cube tray is that it solidified from the outside in, trapping air bubbles and minerals in the center, which makes it opaque. Commercial ice machines circulate water while slowly freezing it, effectively wicking away the bubbles and minerals and creating more clarity. 

Most people don’t have commercial ice machines, though – and instead, you can grab an insulated ice cube mold, specifically designed to make clear ice. These molds (which can be a little clunky, just FYI) slow down the rate of freezing while also pushing air bubbles and minerals to the bottom, leaving you with clear cubes. They may not be quite as transparent as the kind you get in a bar, but they’ll be better than your standard tray. And if you like clear ice regularly, they might be a slightly better investment than Aldi’s product.