Klaris’ large, clear ice cubes are great for an old fashioned, negroni and spirits on the rocks but what if you or your guests want to mix it up?  What if you do not have the glassware to fit the cube? What if you are craving a craft drink that calls for crushed ice like a Moscow mule, using a high ball glass or a favorite water bottle?   

Do not sweat it, Klaris cubes can be manipulated in many ways while still taking advantage of fewer ice impurities and higher density ice for slower melt time (relative to alternatives). In our previous blog post, we introduced the ice ball press to show the creation of spheres from Klaris cubes. Today we are discussing transforming Klaris cubes into shards (think pieces of broken ice) and crushed ice using a far less elegant, but way more fun method – the hammer and ice bag.

You can purchase a wooden hammer and ice bag from Viski, Cocktail Kingdom, Bull In China or Amazon.

Some words of the wise :

• Use a wooden hammer 
• Make sure the ice bag is closed 
• Use a cutting board to protect the surface being hammered on 

For shards, our goal is to break the cube into 2-4 individual pieces. This is typically accomplished with one or two swings of the hammer. Cube orientation within the bag can create shards easier. We've found that laying the cube flat and hitting the opposite face square on is best, as shown below. For crushed ice, just keep hammering! 

     

You can create a stock of shard and crushed ice by filling up 1 gallon storage bags and placing them in your freezer for future use.

 

I personally like the ice shards with my cranberry juice for a nice refreshment in the summer. 

Not feeling hammer time? Ok spending some extra cash? Don’t mind another countertop appliance? Check out the GE Opal Ice Maker, Newair Cubelet Ice Maker and/or bagged ice from your specialty liquor store.