As 2010 drew to a close, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending an intimate black-tie wedding on New Year’s Eve, held by a dear friend of us both. Everything at the wedding was absolutely stunning – the atmosphere was perfectly intimate and luxurious, the floral arrangements were something straight out of a fairy tale, and the food… the food was simply surreal. The amount of detail that went into the occasion was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Everything down to to slightest detail was meticulously planned and carefully executed.
As a self-described perfectionist, one of the things most intriguing to me during the reception was the ice used in the spirits. Rather than using ice as you’d typically think of it (i.e., cubes), the ice was a singular, round, perfectly clear sphere. After the wedding, my wife (after discussing how beautiful the bride was and how fantastic the food was) asked if I had ever seen ice like the ice featured in the reception, but in truth, I hadn’t. A couple weeks later I asked the groom about the ice, and he introduced me to what I now know as Glace Luxury Ice.
The concept behind Glace Luxury Ice is actually quite simple, as it addresses virtually all of the negatives typically associated with ice. Unlike traditional ice that’s frozen from tap water and includes a variety of minerals and chemicals, Glace Luxury Ice is made of water that is completely purified of minerals, additives and other pollutants. Furthermore, it’s produced in a way that eliminates the need for bins and trays, both of which can add impurities into the ice. The result is a completely tasteless product that perfectly cools your drink, but doesn’t in any way alter the flavor of the drink. And while it may not be important when drinking a $1 Coke, when you’re cracking open that 30 year-old Single Malt Scotch, you don’t want anything altering the flavor of your finely aged spirit.
In addition to its highly desirable tasteless properties, equally interesting is Glace Luxury Ice’s shape. Each piece of Glace Luxury Ice is hand-carved into to a 6 cm Mariko sphere, which once in your drink, looks like a perfectly round ball of glass. Because it’s a single piece, there’s no unwanted ice slippage while drinking, and because the surface area of the ice touching the drink is reduced when compared to traditional ice, it melts significantly slower (and thus, avoids watering down your drink). Simply put, Glace Luxury Ice looks gorgeous, but it’s also better than any other ice at doing what it’s supposed to do: cool your drink without altering its flavor. Because of this, you can use Glace in spirits that traditionally you’d drink neat, because taste dilution typically associated with ice is no longer present.
While I certainly don’t use Glace Luxury Ice in everything I drink, on special occasions, you can’t beat it. Pricing is set at $25 for a 5 pack or $150 for a 50 pack. Buy some – your 30 year-old scotch will thank you.
To learn more about Glace Luxury Ice or to order your own, you can do so at the official Glace Luxury Ice website.
