Cheers to the holiday season! I am so excited for the merriest time of the year. From eggnog to sangria to hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps to rosemary gin cocktails, the holiday drink possibilities are endless! To add a little extra holiday flare, I made some ice cubes that bring a little more holly and jolly with each sip!

To start, I wanted to use ingredients that are festive, but easy to find. Cranberries are the perfect additive, as they are durable, colorful and (for the most part) don’t change the flavor of the cocktail much as the ice melts. To add to the red hue of the cranberries, I pulled two green ingredients:  rosemary and mint, to use separately. Since both of these are flavorful, fragrant herbs, you have to use them appropriately… i.e. ice cubes with mint would be perfect for a pomegranate mojito, and ice cubes with rosemary pair nicely with a lemon gimlet cocktail.

When making holiday ice, the clearer the ice, the better. “Regular ice” has impurities in the water and bubbles, causing the cloudiness of the ice and a faster melting time. The trick to clear ice? Use distilled water that has been boiled – twice. This helps the water purify, creating beautiful and clear ice cubes.

The shape and size of the ice also makes a difference. The larger the cubes, the slower the melt time. The spheres and small cubes will melt quickly, so the ingredients inside the cubes can flavor the drink quickly. Whereas, large cubes will not alter the taste of the drink as quickly and will keep the drink colder.

DIY Holiday Ice

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Ice Mold (I recommend these for large cubes and round spheres)
• Distilled water
• Cranberries, washed
• Rosemary sprigs or mint leaves, washed

Directions:

• Place distilled water in pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for about 5 minutes. Cool. Repeat process, boiling again for 5 minutes. Cool.
• Fill ice mold with ingredients, alternating with cranberries and rosemary/mint. Make sure ingredients completely fill ice mold for best appearance. (Note:  If you want your ice to appear like a snow globe, place a small amount of ingredients in and freeze with only about 1/3 of water in mold. After 2 hours, fill the remaining portion with water.)
• For ice mold using large cubes, I recommend filling each compartment about half full with water. Freeze for 2 hours. Fill remaining portion of cube with water. The ingredients will float so this method helps to evenly distribute ingredients.
• For ice mold using spheres, close the silicone mold tightly. Fill with water from the small hole on top of the ice mold using a funnel.

Cocktail Suggestions:

• Rosemary and Cranberry Holiday Ice
  • Gin Fizz Cocktail:  Mix together 3 oz gin, 1 oz simple syrup, 1 oz lemon juice, 6 oz club soda. Pour over ice in two cocktail glasses. Garnish with lemon.
  • Pineapple Rosemary Cocktail:  Muddle 1 slice pineapple with 1 tsp of sugar and 1 rosemary leaf. Discard solids. Add 2 oz pear vodka, 1 oz club soda. Pour over ice in cocktail glass.
• Mint and Cranberry Holiday Ice
  • Christmas Cocktail:  Mix together 3 oz peppermint vodka, 3 oz cranberry juice and fresh-squeezed juice of one lime. Pour over ice in two cocktail glasses. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with lime.
  • Cranberry or Pomegranate Mojito

Live your life joyfully so,

Ashley