Camper English's Blog, page 18
May 24, 2023
Why are Americans so obsessed with ice?
The Washington Post asks, Why are Americans so obsessed with ice?
When they contacted me about the story, I knew it was going to be about Starbucks. You see, I have a google news alert for "ice" and the news that Starbucks was switching to chewy ice hit last week. People of the internet had Very Strong Thoughts about the issue. So did I:
Camper English, a cocktail and spirits writer, has been thinking seriously about ice for the last 14 years, when he began experimenting with ways to make bigger, clearer versions of it. When Starbucks announced its decision, “I knew that we were going to be victims of an insufferable period of commentary,” he said.
The story is pretty great, you should go read it.
May 22, 2023
A Surprisingly Good Knife for Cutting Slabs of Ice
If you're making slabs of ice in a cooler as I showed folks how to do here on Alcademics and in The Ice Book, you need to cut them up into cubes and other shapes after you pop the slab out of your cooler.
Most of the time over the last 10+ years, I've used a cheap Ikea bread knife to score a line and cut the ice, as I show in this post. A lot of times I also just use a 3-prong ice pick instead of a knife.
Years ago, I learned that the prep team at The Slanted Door were using a pumpkin knife to cut up slabs they made in hotel pans. I ordered one from Amazon that was shipped from overseas, and it has been a great knife for this purpose - it has nice big teeth and a flat back, which is ideal for this purpose.
Recently, I went to buy another pumpkin knife but it appears that these are no longer made! Instead, Amazon kept advertising to me a "Kuhn Rikon Melon Knife" by the same brand, but the teeth didn't look to be nearly as big and saw-like, so I hesitated on buying one for a long time.
Long story short, I caved and bought a melon knife a week ago and it's great for cutting ice slabs! It's actually much longer than the pumpkin knife and cuts a slab nicely. So I just wanted to pop on over here to the blog and recommend it.
I bought a cheaper version that's only $12, the Uniware Watermelon Knife. It doesn't come with a blade sheath and the "seeds" are painted on rather than holes in the metal, but otherwise looks similar to the one linked above.
Here's a video comparing the pumpkin and melon knives on YouTube.
May 20, 2023
All About EcoSpirits
For AlcoholProfessor.com, I wrote up EcoSpirits, a company with a system for avoiding single-use glass bottles sold to bars. I've been following them for years and am psyched they've set up locations in the US now.
They fill from bulk shipping containers, put them into their custom-made and reusable "ecoTotes" and refill them as needed.
Read all about it at AlcoholProfessor.com.
May 17, 2023
Twice the Ice in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Angela Hansberger wrote up The Ice Book and Ice by Amy Brady for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The story is here (paywalled).
I was able to access the text via my public library (did you know you can do that to get through newspaper and even magazine paywalls?) and a few quotes from the story:
English's The Ice Book celebrates, with practicality, the renaissance ice age in which we live. He has researched clear ice since 2009, documenting and sharing his findings with the bar world.
He provides guidance on how to create the clearest cube, the sparkliest sphere and the most dazzling of diamonds by cutting and shaping ice, with a main focus on directional freezing. Experimentation led to the discovery that clearer ice can be produced by encouraging water to freeze in one direction, rather than from the outside in toward the center.
May 13, 2023
"The Ultimate Guide to Clear Ice"
InsideHook writes up The Ice Book. The article includes an excerpt as well.
"It’s a wonderful and quick guide for novices and drinks experts alike."
"succinct and beautifully photographed drinks guide"
"This Is the Ultimate Guide to Clear Ice"
Inside the Quest for Totally Transparent Cocktail Ice
In the New York Times, Robert Simonson writes about my quest for clear ice and The Ice Book! It's a great article.
Order The Ice Book here.
May 4, 2023
More Death Star Ice Spheres
A few years back I showed how you can make the Death Star ice mold turn out clear. There are more tips and detailed information in The Ice Book, and you should probably purchase a copy!
Below are some more pics from a 2023 round of making more Death Star spheres for some friends.
April 27, 2023
Local Trendsetter Releases Stylish Ice Book
The Nob Hill Gazette is a neighborhood newspaper in San Francisco - the posh neighborhood, that is.
Writer David Nash penned a little preview of The Ice Book for the paper, which you can read here.
It features another of Allison Webber's fantastic photos from the book.
April 24, 2023
Oil Washing Tips and Tricks
In my latest feature for Bevvy.co I wrote about the many manifestations of oil washing spirits. It's just like fat washing but starts with sesame, coconut, olive, and other oils instead.
