Ice might just be the most underrated part of any cocktail. It keeps your drink cold, balances booze, and even changes how things taste. Yet it’s often treated like an afterthought.

Ask any bartender worth their salt—and citrus—and they’ll tell you: not all ice is created equal. Size, shape, and even temperature affect how fast it melts, how it chills, and how much it dilutes. And yes, that all matters.

Here’s the deal: as ice melts, it cools your drink and adds water. A little dilution is a good thing—it rounds out flavors and smooths the bite of strong spirits. Too much, though, and you’re left with a watery mess. The sweet spot? That’s called full dilution, and getting there takes the right kind of ice and the right technique.

Shaking, for instance, chills faster than stirring—so your shaken drinks will end up colder and more diluted. That’s great for a Daiquiri. Less so for an Old Fashioned.

Larger cubes (think 2-inch blocks) melt slowly, thanks to a lower surface area-to-volume ratio. That makes them perfect for spirit-forward cocktails you want to sip slowly, like a well-made Old Fashioned. Stir with a few large cubes for about 30 seconds, or shake with one for 15—voilà, balanced and bold.

On the other hand, small ice (a.k.a. “shitty ice” from hotel vending machines) melts fast and can over-dilute your drink. If it’s all you’ve got, pack it in tight and shake or stir for less time. Some drinks, like tiki cocktails or swizzles, actually need crushed ice to keep things super cold and slightly sweet. In those cases, tiny ice is king.

And about temperature—ice may freeze at 32°F, but that doesn’t mean it’s served that way. We set our freezers low to keep our ice extra cold, so it chills faster and melts slower in your glass.

At RSL, we make and hand-cut all of our ice in-house—because great cocktails deserve great ice. It’s just one of the details we obsess over so your drink is always on point.

Here’s to keeping it cool, crisp, and perfectly chilled.

Cheers!