Icemakers come as a pretty standard feature on most refrigerators these days, but some people still make ice with trays. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with cubes either.

But for you home bartenders that like to make a splash with how you serve beverages, regular old cubed or crushed ice simply won’t do. You want to shape your ice’s destiny. Here to help you do that is Household Hacker with their DIY balls of ice.

You can have so much fun with this one. Household Hacker points out that unlike normal ice cubes, an ice sphere takes it time to melt, keeping your drinks cold for a longer period of time. Drop one snugly into your glass and your drink can be chilled as it pours.

Using balloons and tennis balls, we’re shown how to achieve perfectly round globes of ice. In this tutorial, it’s noted that store-bought sphere molds can also be used, but it’s up to your personal preference. Once you see how these turn out, you may want to ditch your ice cube trays for good.
 
Additionally, water balloons have been used alone as molds but you’ll come out with egg-shaped ice even when it’s not Easter. If that’s what you’re going for, have at it. Otherwise, for icy orbs, check out some of the steps below!

DIY Ice Balls:

Materials:

  • Balloons
  • Water
  • Tennis balls
  • Blade or other cutting utensil for tennis balls

Instructions:

  1. Cut the Ball

    Puncture a tennis ball before cutting into it. Cut through the fuzz and rubber core of the ball only ¾ down. (Some people wet them before cutting).

  2. Fill with Water

    Place balloon inside of tennis ball and fill with water. Tie it closed.

  3. Wrap it Well

    Wrap 2 or 3 rubber bands around the outside of the ball to secure ice mold. Freeze them.

  4. Remove the Balloon

    ice in balloonHousehold Hacker

    After they’re frozen, remove the balloon from the tennis ball and cut the balloon from the ice.

Click on the video below for extra tips on how to ensure the balls come out perfectly round and frozen. You can use these for cocktails, pitchers of iced tea, lemonade, or in your punch bowl. If you’re feeling iffy about a balloon aftertaste, try rinsing them off before plopping them in your beverage.
 
Watch how Household Hacker adds extras to the balloon mold to create different effects. Check out those candy-sweetened Skittles ice balls! Other whimsical ice additions include the ones in the video, flower petals, mint leaves, or fruit!
 
For comparison, we’re also given a look at the store-bought ice mold too. With the brand used in the example, you have to keep a watchful eye on the ice molds to make sure they’re removed at a certain time. Our hacker also mentions that sometimes these molds produce varied results like cracking, or weird shaping.
 
If you want to be extra fancy and have cloud-free, spherical ice for your next party, then you can try a water boiling trick for clear ice. Boiling the water first removes air that causes cloudy ice. Have bar quality ice at home!
 

What do you think of this ice ball trick? Have you ever had a drink with an ice sphere in it?