Making decorative ice cubes couldn’t be easier, but always makes the recipient feel special. So impressive and pretty, decorative ice cubes are perfect for entertaining, and are guaranteed to bring the hostess quite a few compliments.

Get creative! Make ice cubes suited to particular drinks. For example, make pineapple ice cubes for a pina colada, or mint sprig ice cubes for Mint Juleps, and lemon ice cubes for iced tea. Better yet, freeze your favourite juice into ice cubes for flavorful, non-diluted chilled drinks like the frozen tomato juice ice cubes in a Bloody Mary pictured left. There are endless variations on this idea, and the ingredient options below are just the beginning of what you could make.

Ingredients:
fruits or vegetables (such as citrus – lemon, lime, grapefruit, blueberries, raspberries, cherry, kiwi, strawberry, cucumber, starfruit, etc.
fresh edible flower (such as marigolds, pansies, nasturtiums, rose petals)
fresh herbs (such as mint or basil)
Directions:
Put small chunks or slices of fruit, vegetable, or flowers or herbs into an ice tray, fill with water and freeze. Serve the ice cubes directly in drinks, or put them out in a glass bowl or ice bucket with tongs.

TIP FOR CLEARER ICE:
Most household water contains impurities, and air which makes ice cloudy. To make clearer ice follow the directions here.
Start with filtered water. This can remove many of the tiny floating particles that attract air bubbles during the freezing.
Boil the water twice. After boiling for the first time; allow the water to cool while being covered to prevent any dust from collecting on the surface, and then boil it again. Boiling removes air bubbles from the liquid, allowing the water molecules to stick together even harder in the freezer.
Pour water into an ice tray or possibly other shapes, and cover with a plastic film.
Place the ice tray in the freezer. Leave it for few hours to freeze.
Do you have a favorite juice or juice mix you like to freeze into ice cubes? What beverage do you like to use your decorative ice in? Water, iced tea, sparkling water, sangria, or summer cocktails? Tell us, we’d like to know!
Please follow and like us: