Nice ice, baby<\/p>\n
If your local watering hole slings cocktails with cloudy crushed ice, it’s time for an upgrade.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurial bartenders-turned-ice-makers are crafting crystal clear cubes<\/a> for cocktail bars, and business is booming.\u00a0<\/p>\n One former bartender, Richard Boccato, solidified his obsession with pristine cocktail ice into a multimillion-dollar business, per<\/a> Business Insider.\u00a0<\/p>\n The iceman carveth<\/p>\n Bartending at New York’s best bars and co-opening his own in 2009, Boccato realized one key ingredient missing from the cocktail revival: high-quality ice.<\/p>\n Like a diamond, the cut, clarity, and density are critical characteristics<\/a> of cocktail ice, affecting drink dilution, temperature, taste, and appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boccato purchased clear blocks from an ice sculptor, but later invested in a Clinebell<\/a>, the Cadillac of ice makers, and shaped cubes with chainsaws and irons.<\/p>\n Word spread of the first bar with an in-house ice program and Boccato co-launched Hundredweight Ice<\/a>, eventually leaving behind bartending to become a full-time ice man.<\/p>\n With zero advertising, Hundredweight’s revenue grew around 37% yearly. But not without investment:\u00a0<\/p>\n Ice-making machines: $5k-$7k Hundredweight now delivers to Michelin-starred restaurants<\/a> and hundreds of clients, but hasn’t raised prices since 2017.<\/p>\n 50-pack of 2-inch cubes: $30 The company’s projected revenue for 2026 is $3.5m. Meanwhile, the global ice market is worth ~$5B and is expected to grow to $8.9B by 2034.<\/p>\n Not bad for frozen water.<\/p>\n Gleaming the cube<\/p>\n Other libationists have since stepped out from behind the bar:<\/p>\n Not fancy enough? Some US bars impor<\/a>t ice from Japan, and one company ships arctic ice from Greenland to Dubai<\/a>.<\/p>\n It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd17<\/a><\/p>\n Cost to spend the weekend reading with fellow bookworms at Page Break\u2019s two-day retreat in Upstate New York, per<\/a> The New York Times. If you have a pile of half-read books staring at you at home, this might be just the activity for you. The retreat, held at a remote mansion, condenses the traditional book club experience into 48 hours of group reading and discussion (plus fancy meals with wine pairings) to make sure you actually finish the next novel you read.\u00a0<\/p>\n You\u2019ll just have to be OK with taking turns reading aloud\u2026 Good news for people who like the sound of their own voice, bad news for those of us currently having flashbacks to high school English.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc5\u00a0 On this day: In 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated<\/a> in NYC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd6\u00a0 That\u2019s cool: Read<\/a> a lonely Wikipedia article.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc6\u00a0 It\u2019s crunch time: The Hustle is up for Webby Awards in the Websites & Mobile Sites<\/a> and Video & Film<\/a> categories. Help us take home the trophies, would ya?<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf6a\u00a0 Haha: This website tries and ranks snacks<\/a>. Currently, there are 11.9k+ snacks to read about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nBandsaws: $5k-$20k
\nRouter for etching: $50k-$75k
\nTransport vans: $80k-$90k<\/p>\n
\nEtched cubes: ~$100 per pack
\n15k 2-inch cubes cut each day
\nOver 3m pounds of ice made each year<\/p>\n