The history of craft ice is actually pretty interesting! Here are 3 fun facts you should know about the history of craft ice.

 

Fun Fact #1 - The "King" Of Ice

 

Frederic Tudor was known as Boston's "Ice King" and founded the Tudor Ice Company. In the early 19th century, Tudor became a pioneer of the international ice trade. He made a fortune shipping ice cut from New England ponds to ports in the Caribbean, Europe, India, and Hong Kong.

 

Although Tudor was ahead of his time, he probably didn’t realize that he was launching an American and worldwide obsession with craft ice!

 

Fun Fact #2 - Our Ancestors Loved Their Ice!

 

Ice had a special place in the hearts of our ancestors, who depended on “icehouses” to beat the heat in the 1800s. At that time, railroads and wagons started bringing blocks of ice into insulated storage sheds, creating impromptu corner stores and bars across the nation.

 

Fun Fact #3 - Craft Ice Is Frozen From "The Top Down" 

 

In the 1800s, bartenders were inventing the cocktail and ice was getting easier to ship and store. The ice in these drinks was cut from lakes and ponds and came out clear as glass because of a natural phenomenon known as “directional freezing.”

 

Because a lake is insulated on all sides except the surface, ice can only freeze in one direction – from the top down. As water freezes, the molecules align in hexagonal patterns and begin to form ice crystals. Ice crystals are less dense than the water around them causing them to float, pushing air and impurities down into the denser water below and leaving the top with solid, clear ice. 

 

Needless to say, craft ice has come a long way since the 1800s! Today, not only do we take our cocktails “on the rocks,” we even include this touch of class in our lemonade, soda, and tea. This thirst for luxury resulted in the evolution of Diamond Arctic Ice™ - one of the world’s finest craft ice artisans.

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