A few of my favorite summer cocktails, including the Mint Julep, require crushed ice. It used to feel like a daunting task, until I discovered some simple bar tools.
1. The first is pretty old school - the Lewis bag. The Lewis bag is nothing more than a heavy canvas bag that wicks away moisture, keeping your crushed ice dry (wet ice dilutes drinks too quickly). This is the one I have, though I found this larger one on Etsy (and I do love to support the arts). I love the Lewis bag, and it's a breeze to use, though it's important to dry it out between uses. I just place it over a paper towel holder and let it air dry. But forget about the little wooden club that comes with it - useless. My husband found this mallet in an antique store and it does the job nicely. A couple of whacks and before you know it, we have enough crushed ice for the whole neighborhood.
2. Another nifty little bar tool for cracked ice is the Tap-Icer. You can find vintage models, but here's a newer version, which is called an ice tapper. It works the same way the vintage ones do - you just hold an ice cube in your hand and tap it with the head of the Tap-Icer. Voila! Your ice cube shatters into small pieces. It's inexpensive and easy to store.
3. Lastly, I recommend the Swing-A-Way manual ice crusher. A vacuum seal secures it to your countertop while you use the hand crank to crush your ice. You can crush enough ice for two drinks at a time, which is perfect if you mostly drink with a partner. (If you have a lot of parties, spring for the largest Lewis bag you can find and a big wooden mallet.)
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Cheers!
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