For most restaurants the issue with ice is more about production than making a quality statement. Most ice in a restaurant will be used in endless glasses of water, iced tea, and soft drinks. Reliability and production are important. Woe to the restaurateur who has equipment that cannot keep up with the demands of their business. However, using ice production as a key purchase factor doesn’t always lead to the type of ice cube that will justify the $8-$10 price for a cocktail that you hope to receive.

The New York Times, the arbiter of style and good taste for those of us who live somewhere else, had an article last week on ice cubes used in cocktails. Bottom line: cube shape and clarity matter to those who are paying attention to such things. Let’s face it, did you ever think that people could get so worked up over expensive brands of bottled water? Ice is simply water that has been working out.

The shape of the cube will determine whether you are trying to make the drink look bigger, or make the drink taste better. Smaller cubes, longer in shape, are good at filling a glass and making the drink poured into it look like a bigger portion, but at the price of diluting the drink. Bigger cubes melt slower, and will dilute the drink less while it is being consumed.

One of the battlegrounds for ice quality is clarity. A clear cube, one that is free of impurities and air bubbles, is easily recognized by customers as a point of difference in a cocktail. Kold-Draft ice machines are becoming the standard for a quality cube. They have machines that make a 1 1/4-inch square cube, a half cube, or a quarter cube. They are known for their clear cubes.

In an environment where it is easy for a restaurant bar to upgrade their drink quality by simply ordering better brands, and buying better glassware, the more permanent competitive step will usually involve labor (fresh-squeezed juices), or capital (a better ice machine for the bar). It may only be happening at high end restaurant bars and clubs right now, but the trickle down effect of a new ice age may be at hand. Unlike Vanilla Ice, quality seldom goes out of style.