Ice Cube Sphere Trays / Molds
Making spherical balls of ice is critical to a good whiskey or scotch on the rocks, because the minimized surface-area to volume ratio means it cools your drink without diluting it as quickly as regular ice cubes. For example, a 15mL sphere takes up 4.6 in2, while a cube of the same volume takes 5.7 in2. So you get 25% slower melting ice, which might not seem like a lot, but I’ve heard makes all the difference.
I’ve found two sources for buying spherical ice cube trays / makers. One is expensive, from Japan. For $177, you can buy Ice Ball Mold for Perfect Ice Spheres, a set of heavy molds which squeeze melting ice into a spherical shape, letting the excess runoff as water.
The other option is local to NYC thanks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), who sells the Spherical Ice Tray Set out of their giftshop for $16, with free shipping:
I just put in an order for two trays, and I’ll update with the results when I have them!!
