Ice enthusiasts have taken to TikTok to demonstrate millions of highly-creative methods for using fun-shaped molds to sp(ice) up your daily beverages—not to mention your mood. There’s just something about drinking from a frosty glass filled with ice cubes in the shape of baby butterflies that feels like a sitting in the lap of luxury.
While bartenders have long been experts in ~the art of ice~ and often call for using cubes that are best-suited to the spirit (say, a slow-melting XL ice cube for an old fashioned cocktail), this new wave of fancy ice is typically alcohol-free and meant to be both visually appealing and functional. Feeling inspired? We’ve gathered a few of our favorite ways to elevate everyday drinks using fancy ice and where to find the perfect ice molds to get the job done right.
3 ways to make fancy ice and where to find the right mold for it
1. Coffee Ice
It’s no secret that many of us can’t go a day without drinking a cup of coffee (or three). While a slosh of oat milk is sufficient, if iced coffee or cold brew is your caffeinated beverage of choice, might we suggest drops in some coffee ice, too? Aside from its looks, the beauty of using coffee ice is that it helps prevent your drink from getting diluted by water-only ice cubes as they melt. Ding-ding.
In a recent TikTok video by @itsjennchiu, Jenn demonstrates how to make one-ingredient, one-step coffee ice. Using cans of store-bought espresso and cream-flavored Starbucks ready-to-drink coffee, she fills a round ice cube tray (available on Amazon for $22). Then, Jenn plops it in the freezer until ready. Once the ice cubes are fully frozen, she proceeds to make her go-to iced coffee recipe as usual—but instead of using regular ice, in goes the fancy coffee ice.
@itsjennchiu Coffee cubes > watered down coffee 🧊|| #coffeeicecubes #icetray #athomecoffee #asmrcoffee #asmrcoffeemaking #asmrsounds #icedcoffeerecipe #icedvanillalatte #brevillebaristaexpress ♬ Little Things – Adrian Berenguer
2. Fruit or Herb-Infused Ice
To really liven up a drink, fruit or herb-infused fancy ice is the way to go. Chances are, if you’ve come across a video that really made you freeze (ha) in your feed, it was likely thanks to one of these brightly-colored concoctions molded into fun shapes like lemons or mini pineapples. The beauty of fancy ice is that the options are truly endless. We’ve seen folks making variations from hearts, honeycombs, sand dollars, strawberries, and more, as TikTok’s ice queen, @kami.larae, shows us how to do.
@kami.larae INFUSED ICE DRAWER🍓🍊🍋🍍🫐 #restock #asmr #asmrsounds #fyp #ice #icedrawer #coffeeice #infusedice #fruitice #icetok #chocolateice ♬ Clouds – Luke Faulkner
Pro tip: Don’t sleep on Kami Larae’s recipe for hibiscus tea with orange and strawberry butterfly ice. Using the cutest-ever butterfly-shaped ice mold, she makes OJ and fruit-filled fancy ice cubes that she plops into a cup of freshly brewed, cooled hibiscus tea. (Separately, this type of tea is great for supporting your cardiovascular system.)
@kami.larae hibiscus tea with orange & strawberry butterfly ice🦋🌺 #tea #ice #thatgirl #asthetic #satisfying #fyp #asmr #asmrsounds #spinningglass ♬ Alice in Wonderland – Joanna Wang
If you want to really emphasize the “fancy” aspect of these ice cubes, Larae offers another way to level-up your everyday drinks. Here, she brews a cup of butterfly pea and hibiscus tea—the combination of the two results in a gorgeous magenta-hued liquid that she freezes into dainty rose-shaped cubes. Now, for the ultra-fancy bonus points, she hand-brushes edible gold and silver dust to the petal’s edges. And it’s giving ice-rich.
@kami.larae Replying to @jaxmua #ice #icedrawer #rose #roseice #asmr #asmrsounds #tea #satisfying #fyp #foryoupage #kitchen #home ♬ Sunday Morning – Pekoe
3. Ice Sticks
If having an ice-cold beverage is a non-negotiable for staying hydrated for you, these ice sticks will answer your dehydration prayers. Why? Because few things are more frustrating than cramming a square ice cube into the small, quarter-sized opening of a narrow-necked water bottle. (Whatever you do, don’t try to hammer it in. I’ve learned the hard way.)
@luviiice Just got these new Ice Sticks! #ice #advice #tiktokmademebuyit ♬ super freaky girl x luxurious – xxtristanxo
As the saying goes, “TikTok made me buy it,” which will undoubtedly be true when you lay your eyes on ice stick trays. They’re the intersection between practicality and efficiency designed to make the tight squeeze into your all-time favorite water bottle. Plus, if drinking plain water doesn’t always sound that enticing, you can always fill these trays with the liquid of your choice to infuse your H2O with even more flavor to help you meet your daily hydration quota.
While we’re on the topic of ice, an RD shares her thoughts on some popular ice cream brands:
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