No. Under the FDA Food Code, ice that has been used to chill bottles, cans or other packaged items cannot then be used as food, and ice in a drink is food. Keep one supply of ice for drinks and chill your bottles somewhere else.
Shop the equipment in this article: back bar cooler or a bottle cooler, ice bin and ice machine. Freight is included on every order.
What the Food Code says
Section 3-303.11 of the FDA Food Code says that ice may not be used as food after it has been used as a medium for cooling the exterior surfaces of food such as melons or fish, packaged foods such as canned beverages, or the cooling coils and tubes of equipment.
The next section, 3-303.12, adds a second rule. Packaged food may not be stored in direct contact with ice or water if water could get into it because of its packaging, its wrapping or the way it sits in the ice. A juice bottle with a pour spout pushed down into melting ice is the usual example.
Why the rule exists
The outside of a bottle or can is not a clean surface. It has been through a warehouse, a truck, a storeroom and several pairs of hands. Labels and glue come loose in water. When the bottle sits in ice, whatever is on the outside ends up in the ice and in the melt water, and from there in the next drink.
What this looks like behind a bar
The common violation is simple. Juice bottles, mixers, a bottle of white wine or a garnish container get pushed into the same ice bin the bartender scoops from for drinks. It is fast and it keeps things cold, and it is what an inspector writes up.
There are three ways to fix it.
- Refrigerate the bottles. A back bar cooler or a bottle cooler holds beer, wine, juice and mixers cold without any ice.
- Use a second ice bin only for chilling. Bottles and cans can sit in ice as long as that ice never goes into a glass. Mark the bin clearly and keep the drink scoop out of it.
- Keep bottles divided from the drink ice. Some ice bins have a bottle well or a holder for this. Inspectors read these differently. Some accept a holder only when it keeps the bottles fully apart from the ice that is served, so ask before you rely on one.
Ice handling habits that go with it
These are common practice and most health departments expect them. Scoop ice with a scoop that has a handle, never with a glass or with bare hands. Store the scoop with the handle out of the ice or in a clean holder. If a glass breaks near the bin, empty the bin, clean it and refill it. Keep the lid closed when the bar is not in service.
Your local health department has the final say, so confirm with them before you build or buy.
What to buy
Start with enough underbar ice bins to keep drink ice and chilling ice apart. Move bottled and canned product into bar refrigeration such as back bar coolers and bottle coolers. Make sure your ice machine can keep both bins filled on a busy night. A cocktail station puts the sink and the tools at the bartender’s station so there is less reason to park bottles in the ice.