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The drink-ice cube ratio
Sorry Europeans, but some drinks taste better with ice cubes. The key is to get the ratio right. As a first approximation, there are two main problems. First, the ratio of drink to ice cubes may be too high. In that case you start off by doing some drinking merely as an act of investment in the future quality of the drink. (Ideally I would prefer to pour some drink on the floor, though I am too civilized for that. Alternatively, this can be reason to dine with a companion, who will sop up your excess.) Another reason the ratio becomes too high is if the waiter comes by and pours excess drink into your glass, so that he may take away your can or bottle "too soon" for his own not quite legitimate purposes. This can be avoided by placing your bottle or can in an inconvenient, hard to reach place.
Country restaurants in Thailand sidestep these problems by sending around a staff member to replenish drinks with fresh ice cubes and restore the proper ratio; trust is essential.
Second, the ratio of ice cubes to drink may be too high. If you order two drinks you rarely find (for whatever reason) that both have too many ice cubes. You can put excess ice cubes from your water glass in your Coke but not vice versa. If you order both mineral and plain water two-way transfers are usually possible and thus the tastes of your two drinks end up insufficiently diversified.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on August 20, 2008 at 04:39 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink
Comments
My theory is that American restaurants fill glasses with more ice than is needed, which is the opposite end of the spectrum from standard European practice. Whether this is in reaction to the European tradition, I do not know. Personally, I request a smaller quantity of ice when ordering to reach a happier medium. I do wonder if Americans were surveyed whether they would say they are pleased with the amount of ice, or whether they would prefer more or less, but don't find the effort to be specific worthwhile.
Posted by: Josh at Aug 20, 2008 4:58:44 AM
Glass size is fundamental.
In theory, if using the proper glass size, one can simply fill the glass with ice, to be topped off with liquid.
The only cases where I can immediately see this as antithetical are in sipping drinks (scotch, tequila, vodka, whiskey) and in icing down hot beverages.
Of course, the volume to thirst ratio is a pretty significant variable that seems rather hard to pin down. If I am going to slam a 48oz. Coke in the next 5 minutes, I really only prefer the least amount of ice to make it tolerably cold, not enough to maintain coldness for any prolonged period.
Posted by: Adam at Aug 20, 2008 5:30:46 AM
My brother worked as a part-time barman some time ago. One of the tricks of the trade he was told from the first day was to put as much ice as possible in the glasses: ice is frozen tap water, much cheaper than the drink.
Posted by: Stefano at Aug 20, 2008 5:38:09 AM
So long as it's not whiskey or wine, you can put ice in whatever you like.
Posted by: Anon at Aug 20, 2008 5:48:43 AM
Anon: I should imagine that connoisseurs of cognacs would disagree, but I maybe mistaken, since I am not one.
Posted by: Tiedemies at Aug 20, 2008 6:23:22 AM
Europe is cold. Less need for ice cubes.
Posted by: Goran at Aug 20, 2008 6:33:40 AM
I've always wondered why waiters and waitresses put so much ice in coke glasses as well as water glasses. All they are doing is making their job harder by increasing the number of times they have to refill the glasses. Nothing is more annoying for me (and I assume whoever is serving my table) than going through 5 cokes in a meal because the glass is filled to the top with ice.
Posted by: KevinT at Aug 20, 2008 7:20:26 AM
You need no ice if you can get the drink cooled anyways.
Posted by: NoIce at Aug 20, 2008 8:29:36 AM
Ice cubes annoy me. When I am very thirsty they take up valuable space and also make it necessary to either use a straw or drink with some measure of awareness of them. When I am drinking slowly they have the very inconvenient habit of melting, meaning that I end up left with a quarter-glass of homeopathic iced tea. Neither case is desirable. I'd say I prefer a chilled glass, but really I prefer drinks that are not too cold anyway.
Posted by: Kat at Aug 20, 2008 8:56:02 AM
What about ice shape? More surace area (crushed ice) makes ice cool your drink faster but affects the taste more. Less surface area opposite problem. There are many possible shapes including lens shaped.
Posted by: mitch at Aug 20, 2008 9:24:56 AM
Ice to drink ratio is dependent on 3 variables: the temperature of the drink being cooled, the size of the ice cubes, and the drink glass size. As an example - freshly brewed tea is hot, but I need a drink. I have a large glass. If my wife has made ice (we use trays) the ice will be small, whole tray will be used, and the ice will melt almost completely away, and I'll have no more left to cool it down further. If I filled the ice tray the cubes will likely be twice the size and I will use half as much initially. After melting I will still have some ice left to cool the drink to the desired temp, and a much more pleasing drink, provided I use the right amount of sweetener.
I also recommend using a straw. You can put the end in the drink right next to or in between the ice cubes and the drink will be colder. Its also easier to drink ice tea from a straw while in the car.
Posted by: Lefty at Aug 20, 2008 9:27:47 AM
Stefano is correct, and the more popular the club or bar, the more they do it, because they can get away with it. It is least likely to happen to you in a neighborhood joint where you are a regular customer.
chsw
Posted by: chsw at Aug 20, 2008 9:37:22 AM
"in your Coke": how dare you, sir?
Posted by: dearieme at Aug 20, 2008 9:56:59 AM
I am a compulsive ice eater and the ice is usually gone long before the drink. It's especially annoying in the winter when I chill my body by eating ice and then have to go outside in the cold.
Posted by: Bart at Aug 20, 2008 10:24:50 AM
This post is one more data point supporting the theory that we've reached infinite leisure time. The comments, too. It's a good thing, just strange to ponder.
Posted by: Greg at Aug 20, 2008 10:59:56 AM
The only time I am concerned with DI ratio is when I am drinking Vietnamese coffee.
Posted by: Yan Li at Aug 20, 2008 11:01:40 AM
is this self parody? if it is it is the best blog post i have seen today.
)if it isn't i am getting concerned for tyler.)
Posted by: ron at Aug 20, 2008 11:18:51 AM
I would suggest that a drink which should have ice to begin with (tea, soda made from corn syrup, lemonade, etc.), and the ice is suitably large, that no amount of ice is too much, except for the inconvenience of having to refill the liquid too often. As a corollary, crushed ice should basically never be used, except perhaps for certain cocktails, but I wouldn't know about that. And of course some drinks, like soda made from cane sugar, should not be iced at all.
Posted by: Noah Yetter at Aug 20, 2008 11:19:26 AM
"You can put excess ice cubes from your water glass in your Coke but not vice versa."
If the marginal deleterious effect on the taste of your water is relatively small compared with the benefits accrued from a marginal move toward optimal temperature, we should expect some Coke to water transfers from rational drinkers.
Posted by: David Jinkins at Aug 20, 2008 12:34:53 PM
Bart,
Compulsive ice eating MAY be a sign of iron deficiency. Google it. NIH and CDC papers.
Posted by: RV1984 at Aug 20, 2008 12:57:47 PM
Ideally I would prefer to pour some drink on the floor, though I am too civilized for that.
The worm turns. That used to be the height of repsect when it was called a libation. I believe Ice-Cube still honors that ancient tradition
Posted by: $9,000,000,000 Write Off at Aug 20, 2008 1:00:54 PM
"I would suggest that a drink which should have ice to begin with (tea, soda made from corn syrup, lemonade, etc.)(...)"
As a European, I have to object to this idea that tea 'should have ice to begin with'. Living across the Atlantic is not an excuse for vulgarity.
Posted by: Zamfir at Aug 20, 2008 1:58:18 PM
I didn't realize vulgarity needed an excuse, Zamfir.
Posted by: Colin Danby at Aug 20, 2008 2:12:30 PM
It's not whether vulgarity needs an excuse, but whether there can be one
Posted by: Zamfir at Aug 20, 2008 4:30:24 PM
As a European, I have to object to this idea that tea 'should have ice to begin with'.
We ice our coffee over here as well. The real excuse is that many parts of this country are incredibly hot/humid in the summer. A hot cup of tea or coffee when it's 120F (48C) outside isn't appetizing at all. Or if the humidity gets up to 95% in the middle of summer with 100F (38C) temperatures. Iced tea on the other hand is incredibly refreshing in these conditions.
Posted by: JordanT at Aug 20, 2008 5:16:40 PM
