Cold As Ice
Ice Is A Crucial Cocktail Component For Mixologist Ervin Machado
The next time you order a cocktail, think about this: The type of ice used could make or break the final creation.
That’s the philosophy of Ervin Machado, the beverage director for Big Time Restaurant Group (Louie Bossi’s, City Oyster and more), which recently invested $100,000 in equipment to make four kinds of ice for the new Elisabetta’s in Delray Beach.
“Ice is a building block. It needs to be viewed as a key ingredient in cocktails. You wouldn’t use the same ice for a shaken drink that you would use to cool down a drink,” says Machado in a press release. “Depending on the ice you use, it changes the profile of the cocktail. The second you introduce alcohol to ice, the alcohol by volume decreases. When we’re making drinks, depending on the structure and concentration of the ice, the drinks will either melt more quickly and lower the alcohol or integrate better.”
That comes into play when making an Old Fashioned – using 2.5-inch cubes cools the beverage but doesn’t water it down.
With this level of attention to detail, you can rest assured your next Big Time cocktail won’t disappoint.
Visit bigtimerestaurants.com.