Flavored Ice Cubes

Tired of melting ice causing your drinks to dilute and lose flavor? Try making flavored ice cubes to solve this problem. Small on effort but huge on impact, the flavor of your drinks will slowly transform as the ice melts. Use contrasting colored cubes to contrast for visual impact.

There is nothing worse than watery, cold coffee, which is what one gets when conventional ice cubes go into the glass. This task is easily accomplished by pouring your leftover morning coffee into ice cube trays. Once they're frozen, pop them into a freezer bag.

Chocolate ice

200ml milk

50 ml of water

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee (optional)

70g dark chocolate (66%)

Finely chop chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour milk and water in a saucepan, add sugar, cocoa and coffee and mix thoroughly to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat. Pour over chocolate, melt 5 minutes then mix gently with a wooden spoon to get a cream smooth and creamy. Cool and pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.

Milk with Vanilla

600ml milk

60g sugar

1 vanilla pod

Pour milk into a large saucepan, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Slit the vanilla pod in the center, scrape the seeds and put them in the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from fire. Cool, then refrigerate several hours or preferably overnight. To serve, place ice cubes in glasses of chocolate (depending on size of glasses 3-4 ice cubes) and pour over the cold milk with vanilla. You can enhance the drink by serving with whipped cream and chocolate or make a into gourmet dessert by mixing the milk with the vanilla ice cream for a creamy milkshake: the Mister Choc Summer , irresistible nugget of chocolate . Simple and effective!

Recipe via Le Pétrin: Chocolat d'Eté, Frais et Gourmand

When fruits are to be frozen in the cubes, fill the tray one-third full with water, then partially freeze. Add the fruit then freeze. This will hold the fruit in position. Then add water until the tray is about three-fourths full and finish freezing.

Any pure food coloring can be used to color ice cubes by adding to the water before it is poured into the tray. Be sure to use the right amount of coloring, for delicate tints are always more attractive.

Mint leaves, watercress, and candied fruit make very delightful decorating material for ice cubes. Simply put them on the ice cubes and add just enough water to freeze into place.

Decorated and garnished cubes should be frozen slowly, by leaving the freezer control on one of the "warmer" positions. Fast freezing causes rapid expansion which destroys the desired attractiveness.

[via TipNut.com]

Don't sweat the rising temperatures. Just drop one of these ice cubes infused with fruits, veggies, and herbs into a tall glass of water, and watch the heat melt away.

Cucumber-Basil Puree

Combine 1 cup water, 1 cucumber (peeled and seeded), 1/4 cup torn basil, and some coarse salt in a blender and freeze in an ice-cube tray.

Orange-Lime Mix

Combine 1 1/2 cups orange juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1 teaspoon lime zest in a bowl and freeze in an ice-cube tray.

Lemonade Raspberry

Dissolve 2 tablespoons sugar in 1 cup warm water. Stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Divide 6 ounces fresh raspberries into an ice-cube tray. Place a sprig of mint in each cube. Add lemonade and freeze.

[via WholeLiving.com]

Find Toriani syrups in gourmet shops, well stocked grocery stores and online retailers. Keep in mind these syrups come in sugar free versions - perfect for diabetics and low carb dieters.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons flavored syrup

1 cup water

Instructions:

Combine water syrup in a pitcher and carefully pour into ice cube trays and freeze. To serve, remove ice cubes from trays and serve with iced tea, water, sparkling water, lemonade, iced coffee, punch and much more.

The folks who make Torani syrups suggest the following drink/flavored ice cube combinations:

• Lemonade: Raspberry or Strawberry ice cubes
• Iced Tea: Peach, Mango, Orange, Pineapple or Watermelon ice cubes (or a combo)
• Iced coffee: Chocolate, Hazelnut, Coconut or Almond ice cubes
• Sparkling Waters: Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lime, Mango, Peach, Orange, Pineapple ice cubes
• Milk: Chocolate, Coconut or Almond ice cubes
• Colas or Diet Colas: Chocolate, Cherry or Vanilla ice cubes
• Cocktails with a Lemon or Lime Base like Gin and Tonics, Margaritas or Collins drinks

Creative Cocktails

We've come up with other combos for use with favorite cocktails:

• Chocolate Martinis: Chocolate, Mint, Coconut, Almond, Hazelnut or Vanilla ice cubes
• Mojitos: Mint or Orange ice cubes
• Screwdrivers: Strawberry or Raspberry ice cubes
• Tequila Sunrise: Orange, Strawberry or Raspberry ice cubes
• Long Island Ice Teas: Lemon or Lime ice cubes
• Margaritas: Strawberry, Lemon or Lime ice cubes
• Tropical Drinks: most any fruit flavored ice cubes (or combinations of different fruit flavors) work well in most tropical drinks

We know if you use your imagination, you'll come up with tons of other enticing flavor combinations.

[via FabulousFoods.com]