Ice bars are very popular abroad, where visitors sit behind ice furniture and drinks are served in glasses made of ice. Ice glasses can also be made at home with minimal manufacturing costs. Such glasses will become a real highlight of any party.
When the summer heat is outside the window and the scorching sun mercilessly melts the asphalt under your feet, you want to lock yourself at home, turn on the air conditioner and sit comfortably on the sofa with a glass of cool juice, mineral water or chilled tea in your hand. It is even better if this very glass is made not of glass or crystal, but of real transparent ice. However, this dream can become a reality, because ice glasses can be easily made at home.
You will need
Disposable plastic cups 90 ml and 30 ml, wide tape, small stones and chilled water. Instead of small cups, you can use disposable plastic glasses without a stem. Pebbles should be well rinsed and doused with boiling water. If you want to get ice glasses with transparent walls, prepare boiled water for them, if you prefer opaque opaque ice, the water should be unboiled.
Preparatory procedures
Take a 90 ml plastic cup and fill it 2/3 full with water. In a glass of water, immerse a disposable glass without a stem or a plastic cup with a volume of 30 ml. Balance the edges of the vessels by gradually adding small, well-washed pebbles to the glass. When the edges of the vessels are at the same level, fix them on top with a strip of wide tape. Secure the edges of the tape carefully to the outer walls of the plastic cup. Before fixing the tape, make sure that the glass is located exactly in the middle of the large glass, this will provide an even thickness of the walls of the future ice vessel.
Ice glass decoration
You can prepare both clear and colored ice glasses. To get colored glasses, you need to add food coloring to the water prepared for freezing them. Before pouring water into a plastic cup, place a leaf of mint or a piece of fruit on the bottom, this will give the ice glass a special charm.
Freezing an ice glass
Carefully place the prepared structure in the freezer. If you've made a lot of cups for an upcoming party, it's best to place them on a tray and place them in the freezer with the tray. Make sure the tray of glasses is on a flat, stable surface. Close the freezer door tightly and let the glasses freeze well for 6-8 hours.
Preparing an ice glass for use
After 6-8 hours, remove the tray with glasses from the freezer and make sure that the water between the walls of the vessels has frozen and turned into ice. Remove the tape. Gently fill a glass with pebbles with warm water and after 10-15 seconds easily release it from the ice cap. Now put a large glass in warm water. When you feel that the ice has melted a little and has moved away from the plastic mold, remove the structure from the water and take out the finished ice glass. Fill the glasses immediately with drinks and serve. If you do not plan to use the glasses immediately after making them, place them on a clean, dry tray and put them back in the freezer.
Use cases
Ice glasses will surely surprise your guests. Best served in the evening, filled with cool champagne, whiskey, or chilled soft drinks. You should not serve hot tea or coffee in ice glasses, because fragile ice will melt very quickly under the influence of heat, and the contents of the glasses will pour out. Ice glasses look best with multi-colored drinks. You can decorate them with mint leaves or fruit wedges.
