By Debra Maslowski
Here’s a really simple way to make any beverage more fun. Flavored ice cubes! Let’s learn how to make them and go over a few flavoring ideas.
Why Flavored Ice?
The answer here is simple. Flavor! Traditional ice cubes are made from water. And when they melt, they will, well, water down your drink. Instead, you can make ice cubes from nearly any liquid. You can use the same liquid, as in coffee or tea, or you can use something contrasting, like lemon juice for iced tea, or complimenting, like vanilla milk cubes for iced coffee.
Some Ideas for Spectacular Drinks
This list is by no means complete! There are so many options for flavored ice.
- Chopped mint in water for iced tea
- Chopped basil in water for Bloody Mary’s, mocktail or not
- Squeezed lemon juice for iced tea
- Tea for iced tea
- Coffee for iced coffee
- Blackberry puree for tea or coffee (strain seeds)
- Vanilla extract in milk or cream for iced coffee (one of my favorite flavored ice cubes)
- Strawberry Puree for lemonade
- Macerated violet flowers for tea or lemonade
- Cucumber and mint for ice water
- Pomegranate seeds and mint
- Simple syrup for any drink
- Prosecco or Moscato wine with fruit for cocktails
- Watermelon for lemonade
- Grated ginger for tea
- Lavender for fun!
As you can see, the list goes on and on.
How to Make Flavored Ice Cubes
Making frozen flavor cubes is so easy. Simply wash your additive, smash, chop or shred, depending on what it is. Place in the ice cube tray. Then, fill in with water, coffee, tea, or whatever your liquid will be for that cube. You can do all one type or mix it up. Hot water will give you clearer ice cubes, but cold water will freeze faster unless your freezer is completely airtight. Some things like certain types of alcohol and juice won’t freeze completely, but end up more like a flavored slushy than flavored ice.
The type of ice cube tray that you use makes a difference. Round or large cubes take longer to freeze, but they thaw out much slower. Plastic trays tend to crack after a few years, so I’ve switched to mostly silicone cube trays. Of course, nothing says nostalgia like cracking apart one of those old metal ice cube trays. I got such a kick out of that as a kid!
Have you ever made flavored ice cubes? The heat is on! It’s time for cold drinks!
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Thanks for the suggestions Rose! I just saw an ad for large cubes and spheres that melt slower. I’ll be trying those for sure!
Hi Carol,
I’ve noticed that sometimes mine will do that too. Maybe try adding a creamer to get the flavor to emulsify. Or if you don’t use creamer, some type of sweetener? I use cream in my coffee, so just a touch in my ice cubes usually has them come out clean. Hope this helps!
Yes, I have tried coffee cubes. The problem I got was that all the coffee flavor settled at the bottom and when I removed the cubes from the trays, that flavor was left inside the tray…..How do you get the flavor to emulsify so it doesn’t separate and have the flavor go to the bottom?
Thank you for MORE flavored ice suggestions! A few years ago I volunteered to bring iced tea to a large family reunion. When your iced tea tastes extra good (think pomegranate!) you don’t want melting ice to water it down. I froze enough tea to keep it good and cold all day. Stored in coolers; dispense from coffee urn.
Keep in mind that the larger the “ice cube” the slower it melts. Think silicone baking cups, muffin tins, or any other freezer safe container.