or its English equal "ICE"
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| ICE BALL AND CUBES Sarah Houghland Photo |
IT must have been my last post, The Tin, that caused me to - along with reminiscence of my meeting Ann-Marie of The Noble Bar Speakeasy of Halifax, that be in Nova Scotia in the motherland of Cánada [accent intended!].
Again, more reasons to sit at the bar. So there I was with just Ann-Marie, hard at work making "Rosemary's Baby", and "Penicillin", "Sherry Cobler", Nodootabotit" - I can go on if you'd like. So I am sitting there, all alone. Girlfriend back at the hotel sick with a cold. I'm just minding my own business. All of a sudden I look up and there is Ann-Marie hard at work, chipping away at a block of ice. Carving it up like a mountain climber on Mont Blanc.
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| Ann-Marie The Noble Speakeasy Halifax Nova Scotia |
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| ICE PICK WITH LARGE BLOCK Sarah Houghland, Photogragher |
For the first time in my experiences, I witnessed the hand cutting and carving of a block of ice to go into the whisky glass. I was so impressed. Thoroughly impressed!
As was I with my cocktail of Boulevardier. Along with the introduction to getting to the Speakeasy, no easy feat.
I am not a novice - yes, I wrote that - to the magic of ice. Nor to the education of those whisky tasters (no ice). I have long been using my Japanese Ice Balls and more recently my Canadian large block cubed ice. They are a staple I used for serving cocktails that I include ice with.
And I have for long time been using blocks of ice to add to the Champagne bucket. It keeps longer than the small ice cubes your ice box delivers to you!
But it was during my visit with Ann-Marie that I observed the ice block, carving, cutting, chipping ... and from then on my enthusiasm grew to an obsession. Needing to get the correct container to make the ice, acquiring the appropriate tool, and then there was the ice bag. Fortunately, I already had the miniature bat to use with the ice tool!
My guests do seem to appreciate the larger blocks or spheres of ice. And most comment on it. But I must say, what strikes me the most is that when I make a cocktail for my girlfriend, I am most delighted when she says
"I really like to look down into the whisky glass and see this clear piece of ice". It always amazes me, when she says that.
That consistently gets my attention. I think I recall many times asking her - "really, you like the ice cube in the glass. Girlfriend responds - "Oh yes! Quite pretty to see this clear block".
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| BALL FORM W/ COCKTAIL GLASS Sarah Houghland Photo PS Do not get me started on vintage cocktail stemware. |
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| LARGE CUBE FORM W/ VINTAGE COUPE Sarah Houghland Photo |
The Practicalities -
> I only use filtered water. > I don't store ice for more than 10-14 days at most. > Try as I might, I have not succeeded at making a large block of ice that is clear throughout the block. > I store the large block in my ice bag, a "Lewis Bag" from Cocktail Kingdom. > I use a Japanese Ice Pick. > Only more recently have I begun to use a small bat to delicately carve out a square piece; yes, that means I have ceased stabbing down hard onto the block of ice inches from my hand which is holding the large block of ice. [insert smiley face here]. I use a "Japanese Ice Pick" with wood handle and topped with a chipping tool and axe for carving. > I rinse the freshly cut block with water before placing it in the glass.
I'm still learning to perfect the crystal clear ice. Maybe a trip to Japan will educate me as to how they achieve this.
All that being said, I have yet to begin to make shaved ice. Perhaps that calls for another visit to The Noble to talk with Ann-Marie.
Merci beaucoup, Ann-Marie .......
Cocktail
Drink - Blood and Sand1 part Scotch whisky
1 part Cherry Heering
1 part Carpano Antica (Sweet Vermouth)
1 part orange juice
Orange peel (get a little fancy and flame that orange zest)
Amuse-bouche - fried Spring Roll
Tunes - ever the Edith Piaf
For access to the Noble Bar, subscribe on The FB to The Middle Spoon Desserterie & Bar. That's where your journey starts ... after that, think downstairs area ...kitchen ... hall ... velvet curtain ....
Sources - Cocktail Kingdom. "SeeYouSoon.ca" blog
Photos by Sarah Houghland, Exclusive to SpiritSnob.
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| Sarah Houghland, Photographer |
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