On the rocks, please: Luxury ice is in

If you’ve ever been the friend in charge of bringing ice to a BBQ, you know that people are serious about their frozen water.

Like, really serious: In a 2020 Bosch survey, 51% of Americans reported being “ice obsessed.”

But gone are the days of cloudy gas station cubes — upscale ice is having its moment in our glasses and on our social feeds.

And businesses are ready to help customers cool off:

• Disco Cubes makes custom ice — etched and filled with fruit and flowers — for corporate events and private parties.
• Lux Ice sells clear, slow-melting spheres by the bagful.
• In addition to cubes, Okamoto offers ice sculptures, live ice carving for events, and ice team-building activities.

Plus, an endless online array of silicon molds lets shoppers get their heart, flower, and diamond-shaped ice cube fix delivered.

Why the freeze?

Many — when not hunched over sourdough starters — tried their hands at bartending during the height of the pandemic with upgraded equipment and Zoom cocktail classes.

Plus, popular appliance brands have capitalized on the fad, bringing pricey ice solutions home:

• GE’s $500+ nugget ice maker is a social media darling.
• Meltdown’s ice ball press starts at a cool $1k and promises perfect spheres.
• LG has developed refrigerator models with “craft ice” capabilities.

And, like all other trends…

… TikTok had something to do with it.

The hashtag #icetok has amassed 1.6B+ views, with videos ranging from ice drawer restocks to powder ice recipes.

The icing on top? Record-breaking heat has people searching for new ways to cool down.

If you’re still questioning how much people care about their cubes: Our country nearly split in two when Starbucks announced its switch to nugget ice.