For most cocktails, a hard, clear full cube is the best all-round ice: it chills without watering the drink down too fast. Half cubes chill faster and suit shaken drinks and sodas, nugget ice suits tiki drinks, juleps and crushed-ice serves, and large clear blocks or spheres are for spirits served neat on ice. The right choice depends on how fast you want the drink to chill and how much dilution you want.
Shop the equipment in this article: commercial ice machines, underbar ice bins and cocktail stations. Freight is included on every order.
How ice changes a drink
Ice does two jobs: it chills and it dilutes. Bigger, harder pieces have less surface area, so they melt more slowly and add less water. Smaller or softer pieces chill fast but water the drink down quickly. Bartenders pick the ice that gives the right balance for each drink.
The main ice types behind a bar
- Full cube (also called dice or regular cube): hard, dense and slow melting. Good for stirred drinks, rocks drinks, highballs and general bar use. Most cube ice machines make it.
- Half cube: smaller, so it fills a glass tightly and chills quickly. Good for shaken cocktails, sodas and high volume bars. It melts faster than full cube.
- Nugget ice: soft, chewable pellets that soak up the drink. Good for tiki drinks, mint juleps, cobblers and anything served over crushed ice. See full cube vs half cube vs nugget ice.
- Crushed or shaved ice: very fast chilling and heavy dilution, made by crushing cubes. Used for swizzles and frozen-style drinks.
- Large clear cubes and spheres: one big piece per glass for whiskey, old fashioneds and premium spirits. They melt slowly and look clean. Most bars buy them from a specialty ice supplier or make them in insulated molds, because standard ice machines do not make blocks that size.
Clear vs cloudy ice
Cloudy ice is caused by trapped air and dissolved minerals that freeze into the middle of the cube. Commercial cube machines make clear ice by running water over a cold plate so it freezes in thin layers and pushes air out. If a cube machine that used to make clear ice starts making cloudy or small cubes, it usually points to water quality, low water flow or a machine that needs cleaning. See ice machine making small or cloudy ice.
Ice is food, so handle it like food
- Scoop with a dedicated scoop, never a glass. A chipped glass in the ice bin means emptying and cleaning the whole bin.
- Keep the scoop in a holder outside the ice, not buried in it.
- Do not chill bottles, cans or garnish containers in the ice you serve. See can you store bottles in the ice you serve in drinks.
- Clean and sanitize the ice bin and machine on a schedule. See how to clean an underbar ice bin and how to clean and sanitize an ice machine.
How much ice a bar needs
Bars use far more ice than most owners expect, because ice goes into the shaker, the glass and the dump sink. A common planning rule is around 3 pounds of ice per guest for a bar-focused business, more in hot climates or for frozen drinks. Size the machine for your busiest day and make sure your underbar ice bin holds enough for a rush between refills. Our ice machine buying guide walks through sizing.
Quick answers
- What ice do most bars use? Full cube or half cube from a cube ice machine, with nugget or specialty ice added for certain drinks.
- Is nugget ice good for cocktails? For crushed-ice drinks, yes. For stirred drinks, it dilutes too fast.
- Why is my bar ice melting fast? See why ice melts fast in a bar ice bin.
What to buy
Start with a cube ice machine sized for your peak day, then an underbar ice bin at each bartender station. A mixology station puts the sink, glass rinser and dipper well next to the ice so the well stays organized. Freight is included to the 48 contiguous states and DC.