Smoked ice cubes add a light, smoky aroma to a drink as they melt. They’re a fun upgrade for an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, and they’re easy to make at home.
The key is to smoke the water before you freeze it. Smoke flavors liquid water far better than solid ice, so most of the work happens before the tray goes in the freezer.
What You Need
- Clean drinking water
- Wood chips or pellets made for smoking food
- A smoker or grill with a smoker box, or a handheld smoking gun
- A wide, shallow, food-safe pan, or a jar with a lid
- Ice cube trays (large silicone cubes melt slower)
- A freezer bag or airtight container for storage
Only use wood sold for smoking food, such as apple, cherry, oak or hickory. Never use treated, painted or scrap lumber, or softwoods like pine, which give off harsh, sooty smoke.
Method 1: Smoke the Water in a Smoker or Grill
Pour cold drinking water into a wide, shallow pan, since more surface area means more contact with the smoke. Set it in your smoker, or on the cool side of a grill with a smoker box, at a low temperature.
Let it take smoke for about 1 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, and taste as you go. Fruitwoods like apple and cherry are mild, while hickory and mesquite get strong fast.
A handful of ice in the pan keeps the water cold longer, which helps it take smoke without heating up. It simply melts into smoky water that you freeze later.
When the flavor is where you want it, pour the water into a clean container, cover it and chill it in the fridge. Then pour it into clean trays and freeze.
Safety: run smokers and charcoal grills outdoors only, away from doors and windows, because they give off carbon monoxide.
Method 2: Use a Smoking Gun
Fill a jar about halfway with cold water. Fill the empty space with smoke from a handheld smoking gun, put the lid on and shake for about 30 seconds.
Repeat three or four times until you like the aroma, then pour the water into trays and freeze. It’s quicker than a smoker; if you do it indoors, work near a window or range hood and away from smoke alarms.
Method 3: Cold-Smoke Finished Cubes
You can also smoke cubes that are already frozen. Put them in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a glass cloche, fill it with smoke from a smoking gun and let it sit for a few minutes.
The flavor stays mostly on the surface, so it’s lighter, and the cubes start to melt. Serve them right away.
Shortcut: Liquid Smoke
Liquid smoke is a food flavoring made by capturing real wood smoke in water. A drop or two stirred into a full tray of water gives a smoky note without any equipment.
Go easy, because it’s very concentrated. Too much tastes bitter and medicinal.
Food Safety Basics
- Start with clean drinking water and clean pans, jars and trays.
- Cover the smoked water while it cools in the fridge, and freeze it soon after.
- Keep cubes frozen until you serve them. Toss cubes that have melted, and never reuse ice that’s been in a drink.
- Don’t over-smoke. Thick, sooty smoke makes the water bitter; thin, steady smoke is what you want.
How to Store Smoked Ice Cubes
Once they’re frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray into an airtight container or freezer bag. Ice picks up freezer odors quickly, so keep them sealed and away from strong-smelling foods.
They taste best within a few weeks. You don’t need salt, sugar or any other preservative; freezing is all it takes.
Drinks to Try Them In
Smoked cubes suit spirit-forward drinks you sip slowly, like an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan or a Negroni. They also work in iced coffee, cold brew and unsweetened iced tea.
Large cubes melt slower, so the smoke comes through gradually instead of all at once. Smoked water freezes a little cloudy, which is normal.
Conclusion
Smoke the water, chill it, then freeze it, and you’ll have cubes that add a gentle smoky note as they melt. Use food-safe wood, clean gear and a sealed container, and they’ll be ready whenever you want a smoky cocktail.
Please be careful and use at your own risk
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