Somebody out there is working on a device to create the perfect ice cube. Or ice sphere actually.
A Japanese company has introduced a mold that seamlessly creates a perfect sphere, no chipping and shaving required. Simple place a chunk of ice into the metal press and, as it melts, the device will close around the ice forming a ball, which is then released by the flick of a switch.
The Ice Mold, available in 55, 65, 70, and 80mm mold sizes, can make 30-40 ice balls an hour.
Spheres of ice are preferred by serious on the rocks drinkers because the reduced surface size means that the ice melts at a slower pace, keeping your drink from getting watery to quickly.
Contrary to what you might think, bartenders in Japan consistently take home top honors at global competitions, not because of their flashy antics or strange new concoctions but because there is an intense devotion to making simply the best drink, of which perfect ice is an obvious component.
Speaking of top-notch beverages, Asahi’s Nikka Whiskey label will be releasing again for a limited time its Non-chill Filtered 20 Year Single Malt Whisky that took home the award for best single malt whiskey at the annual World Whisky Awards.
Chilling during the filtering process is common practice to reduce the risk of the whiskey becoming cloudy, though at a sacrifice of taste. Nikka’s Non-chilled filtered goes for full taste, at the risk of having to sacrifice a few cloudy batches. Sales are limited to 1350 bottles and will sell for ¥20,000 (about $187), which considering the other premium beverages on the market, seems totally reasonable.
Combine the Non-chill Filtered Nikka Whiskey on the rocks and a Taisin ice sphere for a perfect whiskey on the rocks!
UPDATE: The Ice Ball Mold is now available at JapanTrendShop.
Rebecca Milner was a contributor at ShiftEast.com, and is currently a Japan correspondent for Lonely Planet. 
The problem isn’t that the cubed ice is melting to quickly and watering down the whiskey, the problem is some folks don’t drink their whiskey fast enough.
To reduce surface area of ice cube use smaller ice cube.
Then you effectively lose desired cooling. So, in order to compensate, you’d probably use more of those smaller ice cubes–which means increased surface area.
“To reduce surface area of ice cube use smaller ice cube.”
That’s a stupid answer. Using a smaller ice cube will result in less chilling of your drink, necessitating more ice cubes, which increases the overall surface area.
The reason the sphere is preferred isn’t because it has a lower surface area but because it has a lower surface area /and the same volume/, so you get the same amount of chill with the least amount of melt.
Odd since the device depicted above does not appear to make spheres at all, there are two different molds shown and neither of them is a sphere with no edges.
Since this device is supposed to create a sphere, and the lack of edges that would melt sooner is the sole sellling point, why are not seeing the spherical mold?
Buck – their website shows someone holding one with baseball stitching on it and some other molds including a beer mug made from ice. I guess these are just more examples of the kinds you can buy, i.e. the one depicted above produces soccer ball shaped ice.
If I’m not mistaken, the ability of ice to cool a drink is exactly proportional to the rate that the ice is melting. Wait — if the ice is significantly below freezing, the ice will just warm up as it cools the drink, until it reaches the melting point.
Either way, the cooling effect of the ice is a function of how fast it’s absorbing heat from the drink (warming up or melting). A sphere would probably transfer heat the slowest because of its high volume to surface area ratio. This means that a sphere would last longer but cool the least of any other shape.
That said, I’m a beginner metalworker. How would you cut those shapes into a piece of brass?
Is it possible to shape ice in other forms as well?
How quick would a machine do it?
Would it be done manually?
Guys, where can i buy this thing??
The cooling/melting tradeoff is fixed, but a sphere’s surface-to-volume advantage over a similarly-sized cube is significantly less than the advantage of one larger cube over smaller ones. If you want to minimize melting (and save $1000), simply use the largest single cube you can.
Hello, I found this site because restaurants have been buying our silicone sphere molds for this use. We make them for chefs to fill with sugar and chocolate.. but they work great with water.
Have a look
They are much more affordable then the metal molds.
Hello, I found this site because restaurants have been buying our silicone sphere molds for this use. We make them for chefs to fill with sugar and chocolate.. but they work great with water
I looked at your molds…..but you have to freeze the water in the mold, right? The point of the metal molds is that all you need is ice and you can use it over and over again without putting it in the freezer. If you’re making fifty ice balls per night, the metal molds seem to make more sense.
..I was in the bar of “Ritz Carlton Tokyo” and ordered a Whiskey. The drink was served with big ice ball, fitted for the tumbler….., and guess, in the ball was the logo of Ritz Carlton in 3D !!!!
Absolutly fantastic. But how the do…, looked
like some laser action….
Please send me some info, if somebody knows more about.
regs Quincy
To reduce the surface area it is necessary to increase the size of the cube, not reduce it! This is why animals which breathe thro their skin can only reach a certain size – any bigger and they need lungs, as their surface area is too small.
“Spheres of ice are preferred by serious on the rocks drinkers because the reduced surface size means that the ice melts at a slower pace, keeping your drink from getting watery to quickly.”
this is flat out wrong. the sphere is preferred because it has INCREASED surface size. that is a sphere has the highest surface-area:volume ratio of any shape.
@caleb
Sorry, but if you take the ice ball and break it in half, do you not have more surface area? A sphere has the least. No one wants MORE surface area since the ice would melt faster.
alright so to end this really really stupid thing here…
A sphere has the LEAST surface area while having the MOST volume.
The lack of energy that we percieve as “cold” of a sphere of that size is not self-containable and thus keeps the drink cool at a relatively steady ratio.
It keeps the drink a decent temperature, while emitting the least water to the drink :) a sphere is the perfect “ice cube”
Anyway I would like such a contraption too.. since molds have to be in a freezer until the ice is formed making an inceblock into a sphere manually is quicker! Does anyone know when this wonderful thing is coming to europe?
How about keeping the liquor in a wine cooler to reduce the need of ice?
Why not cut out the middle man – i.e. water.
Do like Hemingway did – frozen mid sized steel ballbearings (obviously sterlised). Sounds nuts. But, hey, if you lived in Spain/Cuba/Florida Keys, you’ll quickly see the method to the madness..
Today’s (6/9/2011) NY Times Home Section has a beautiful $200 mold from Japan Trend Shop (japantrendshop.com)