Beyond Zero Can Freeze Alcohol Into Ice Cubes
Alcohol ice cubes are here to make your summer so much better . . . and boozier
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Nobody likes a watered-down drink. Whether you're looking to get after it or simply sit back and sip on a well-made cocktail, a watery beverage can ruin your evening. The only thing that's worse? Having to ask for more booze and less ice.
Thanks to Beyond Zero, this less-than-ideal scenario may never have to happen again. The company has invented a machine that can freeze hard liquor. So when you order a Scotch on the rocks, your rocks could be made of Scotch, too. ("Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch," anyone?)
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Over Derby Day weekend, a bar in Louisville called Charr'd was the first to try out the machine in a commercial setting. A NYMag writer took it upon himself to try the booze cubes, and he wasn't disappointed. Not only do they prevent dilution, but they also keep the drink cold as they melt, since alcohol freezes at a much lower temperature than water. When the cubes do finally melt, they keep the cocktail cold and smooth.
Costing a cool $7,999, the Beyond Zero machine might not be something you can utilize at home for backyard BBQs this summer, but if more bars start buying the machine, it should significantly improve your summer bar hopping.
While inventor Jason Sherman won't disclose the exact details about how the machine works, the patent-pending Beyond Zero can make cubes from any liquor, the time it takes depending on the alcohol. Wine cubes can take three minutes, but a small-batch bourbon might take up to 12 minutes, Sherman tells NYMag. It sounds like it's worth the wait, because one thing you can't avoid this summer is melted ice. But in this case, as NYMag points out, melted ice "just means more booze." In an interview with Design Trend last year, Sherman estimated the extra charge for drinks with booze cubes to be $2.
Fancy ice is nothing new to the cocktail industry, but this brings the trend to a whole new level. We'll just call it the ultimate brain freeze.