Two Negronis, same gin, same vermouth, same Campari, same jigger. One tastes bright and cold; the other tastes watery and flat. The only variable was the ice. Ice is the ingredient most bartenders ignore and the one that most often ruins a drink.
Why Ice Matters
Ice does two jobs at once: it chills and it dilutes. A finished cocktail is typically 20–25% water by volume, and that water is not a defect — it is what makes the drink drinkable. Your job is to control the ratio.
- Bigger, colder, harder, drier ice = slower melt = more chilling per unit of dilution.
- Wet, small, warm ("cloudy freezer-tray") ice melts instantly, over-diluting the drink before it is even cold.
- Ice sitting in a pool of meltwater is already half-lost. Drain the well.
| Ice type | Use |
|---|---|
| Cubed (2.5cm) | Shaking, stirring, general highballs |
| Large cube / sphere | Spirit-forward drinks served on the rocks — slowest dilution |
| Cracked | Faster chilling, more dilution — juleps, some tiki |
| Crushed / pebble | Mojito, Julep, tiki — heavy dilution intended, drink is stirred and refreshed |
| Block | Punches and large-format batches |
Always fill the glass with ice. A glass half-full of ice melts faster than one packed with it — less ice means a warmer, more watery drink, not a stronger one.
Ice Hygiene
Ice is a food product and one of the most common sources of contamination onboard.
- Use a dedicated plastic or metal scoop, stored outside the ice, not in it. Never scoop with a glass — if it chips you have invisible glass in the ice well and the entire well must be emptied, cleaned and refilled.
- Never return unused ice to the well. Never put anything in the ice well but ice — no bottles, no cans, no fruit.
- Ice takes up smells. Keep the machine and the well clean, covered, and sanitised daily.
Garnish
The garnish is aroma and appearance, not decoration for its own sake.
| Garnish | Handling |
|---|---|
| Citrus twist | Cut with a peeler avoiding the white pith. Express the oils over the drink (skin side down, squeeze), rim the glass, then drop in or discard |
| Wedge / wheel | Cut same-day, keep chilled and covered |
| Olive / cocktail onion | Keep refrigerated in brine; use tongs |
| Mint sprig | Slap once in the palm to release aroma — do not shred. Keep in cold water or damp cloth |
| Dehydrated fruit | Airtight container, dry, no fingers |
Prep only what a service needs — yesterday's oxidised garnish tray is worse than no garnish.
Bar Hygiene
- Wash hands on returning to the bar and after handling waste.
- Use tongs, forks or gloves for anything going into a guest's glass. Fingers never touch the garnish or the ice.
- Sanitise pour spouts, jiggers, shakers, boards and knives regularly; wash tools between drinks with different ingredients — dairy, egg and coffee especially.
- Fresh juices, syrups, milk, cream and egg are perishable: label with contents and date, refrigerate, and follow the yacht's discard rules.
Onboard Notes
- Ice is limited at sea. Know the machine's output, plan a big party ahead, and never let the well run dry mid-service.
- Broken glass near an ice machine or a pool is an incident. Report it, and follow the yacht's glass-breakage procedure — it usually means dumping all ice within reach.
- Sun and heat wilt garnish in minutes. On deck, keep the tray covered and on ice.