Shopping for Ice Buckets – The New York Times

If you’re mixing cocktails for close friends and do not want to preserve likely to the freezer for ice, an ice bucket is crucial.

“I tend to use them for entertaining,” claimed Julie Reiner, a founder of Social Hour Cocktails and an operator of the bars Clover Club and Leyenda, in Brooklyn. “I use one when I’m building cocktails at house, or if I have functions and want to leave the ice out.”

For a long-lasting supply of ice, an insulated model with a lid is preferable. Just one with an inside drain grate is even far better.

But there is also design and style to look at when you are furnishing a household bar. Which is why Ms. Reiner keeps a few of ice buckets at home: an insulated Crafthouse product with a drain grate for functionality and an ornate, antique glass one particular that will make a ornamental statement.

Just after all, component of the enjoyment of serving cocktails is the spectacle. And “a good-looking ice bucket,” Ms. Reiner mentioned, “is a excellent factor to have.”

How large ought to an ice bucket be? “I are likely to use a smaller sized one,” Ms. Reiner reported, “because I’d instead refill it than have the ice get as well melted.”
Is an ice bucket the identical as a champagne bucket or wine cooler? Not exactly: An ice bucket retains ice to set in beverages, Ms. Reiner reported, when the some others are meant to chill bottles (while some can do double responsibility).
Is a good handle critical? It’s not important, but it could make daily life simpler when you are transferring the bucket about the property or carrying it outside.