Making Fancy Ice Cubes
Fancy ice cubes are a great way to dress up your drink. They can also be used for party drinks, dinner drinks, and punch bowls. There are a number of easy ways to make these ice cubes, which require minimal ingredients and time to make them in.
For fancy cubes to be used with a carafe full of iced tea use a sprig of mint placed in each ice cube division in your ice cube tray. Fill with water, then freeze. You can also use fennel in place of the mint in the ice cube trays. If you want something more decorative, place a freshly washed wild violet flower in each division of the cube tray before filling it with water. These will give your iced tea a little bit of flavor as they melt in your glass.
Another way to give a little bit of flavor to iced tea is to use some natural fruit juice in your ice cubes. Simply fill up the tray with cherry, raspberry, grape, or orange juice, freeze for an hour, then add a few cubes to your glass.
For lemonade, try using a little bit of honey added to the water in the ice cube tray. First fill the tray with water, then squeeze a few drops into each section from a bottle of honey. Or, add a fresh sprig of rosemary or lavender to the cube tray before adding water, then freeze.
For a party punch bowl, use an ice cube tray with unique molds in it, such as animal shapes, diamonds, circles, or flowers. If you have plastic candy molds, like the kind used in making chocolates, those can be used, too. Use different flavored juices in these shapes with an edible flower, like wild violets, pansies, marigolds, or rose petals.
If you want to make some unique ice cubes to use for your wet bar, use maraschino cherries in each section of your ice cube tray before pouring water in it, then freezing. You can also use fresh fruit juice for your ice cubes in a drink, like rum or vodka. Herbs and edible flowers in ice cubes can also provide an extra flavor. Fennel is nice because it has a licorice-like taste. Marigolds can add a spicy edge to your drink. Borage is a colorful addition to any alcoholic drink. Chrysanthemum petals have a pepper flavor and can be combined with other colorful chrysanthemum petals in an ice cube. Another thing you can add to your wet bar ice cubes is a dash of food coloring in each cube before the tray is frozen. Also, you can use fancy shaped cube trays for your alcoholic drinks; these are especially nice for parties and holidays.
Image Credit: Personal Creations, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
