“Ice is as important to a bartender as a stove is to a chef

With a chef, it’s a matter of heating things up. With a bartender, it’s a matter of cooling things down. You’d never tell a chef he could have only a stove-top burner or a fryer. And I couldn’t do without at least three or four different types of ice.”

standard ice used in shakers at the Violet Hour comes from a Kold-Draft machine

ice comes out of the machine cold enough to rapidly chill a drink, but not so cold that it shatters when shaken

also employs crushed ice and shard ice

does ice really change how a drink tastes?

The difference was startling. From the first sip, the drink with cheater ice was like a debased “cocktail lite,” with thin flavors and watery insipidness. The chunk ice yielded a richer taste, and had a denser, almost velvety texture to it.