Tuesday night, I stopped into Allen & Delancey with my friends Francesca and Anoush and was pleased to see that the bartender used these extra-large ice cubes in the whiskey-based drinks (Tailor does the same thing). Besides being totally fun, these ice cubes have the benefit of chilling the drink quickly while reducing the amount of surface area exposed to the beverage (the ice cube melts more slowly, and thus cools your whiskey without diluting it – a good thing). 

(According to 175proof.com, spherical cubes are even better, as spheres have less surface area than a cube, volume for volume…but I prefer the look of square cubes.)

Tip: An (empty) button organizer can be used as a makeshift ice tray to create larger-than-normal cubes.

Tip: Boil water for 10 minutes before freezing to remove impurities.