Crushed Vs Nugget Ice: Which Is Best For Diluting Sugary Sodas?

An ice-cold soda is the perfect thirst-quencher any time of year. With countless brands and flavors available today, you might occasionally open one that's sweeter than you'd like — a common experience with sugary drinks like Mountain Dew. Most people will simply water it down, but there's a better solution: using the right kind of ice. It sounds fussy (after all, whoever thought about the kind of ice they put in their soda?), but the type of ice you choose can make a surprising amount of difference.

Let's take a look at two popular ice often used for sodas: crushed ice and nugget ice (also called "Sonic ice" after the famous fast-food chain). Crushed ice, which you might recognize from boozy negroni slushies and sunny daiquiris, is simply ice cubes broken into smaller shards. Nugget ice is a bit different — it's made by machines that compress crushed ice into small, rounded pellets to give a nice crunch.

While nugget ice is often the go-to choice for sodas because it melts slowly and helps maintain the drink's flavor while you chat and chill, crushed ice is actually the better choice when you're dealing with an overly sweet beverage. Those small ice shards melt very quickly thanks to their large surface area, mellowing out the sugary intensity to give you a more balanced, refreshing beverage in just a few quick seconds after you stir them in!

While crushed ice can be bought for cheap at most grocery stores, why waste the trip and the gas when you can easily make it at home? The simplest method requires nothing more than a plastic bag, a kitchen towel, and something sturdy like a rolling pin or hammer. Put some ice cubes in the bag and wrap it up in the towel, then give it a few good whacks until the ice breaks down into smaller pieces. There you have it — crushed ice for your soda.

It'd even be better if you have a blender or a food processor at home. Fill them up with ice cubes and pulse until they reach the perfect crushed consistency. Around a minute will yield enough for a glass or two.

When it's time to mix your soda, start by filling the glass the entire glass with crushed ice — and yes, you want it completely full. The small ice shards create plenty of natural spaces for your soda to flow through. Pour the soda slowly over the ice, stirring gently as you go, until it reaches just below the rim. Let it sit for a minute or two for the ice to work its magic and the cloying soda you started with is now a perfectly chilled, mellowed drink with all of its refreshing flavors intact!