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Luxury Ice Production and Methods for Clear Ice at Home

The luxury ice market supplies high-end cocktail bars with clear ice from various sources, generating significant revenue. Companies harvest ice from glaciers or produce it in controlled environments, emphasizing purity. Methods exist to create similar clear ice at home without specialized equipment.

Wired
1 source·Apr 12, 11:00 AM(47 days ago)·1m read
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The trade in luxury ice has grown for use in high-end cocktail bars. These bars use clear ice to enhance beverages, often highlighting its origins from springs, mountain streams, or glaciers. Wired reported on the production and sale of this ice.

Hundredweight Ice, based in New York City, harvested more than 3 million pounds of ice in 2025 and generated $3 million in revenue. The company sells to Michelin-starred restaurants. Other providers, such as Disco Cubes, sell nine cubes for $75, while spheres cost more due to production requirements.

Arctic Ice sources ice from Greenland glaciers and sells six cubes for $100. The company states that the ice has little to no taste and does not alter beverage flavors as it melts. Kuramoto Ice, manufactured in Kanazawa outside Tokyo, produces ice with nearly zero impurities.

Berners-Lee, founder of Small World Consulting, commented on the luxury ice industry.

He has researched carbon accounting and sustainable food systems since 2005. , which tracks carbon emissions from various activities.

Key Facts

Hundredweight Ice
harvested over 3 million pounds in 2025
$3 million revenue
generated by Hundredweight Ice in 2025
Arctic Ice pricing
$100 for six glacial cubes
New ice form
discovered by Salzmann in 2024
Clear ice method
slow directional freezing at home

Story Timeline

3 events
  1. 2025

    Hundredweight Ice generated $3 million in revenue from over 3 million pounds harvested.

    1 sourceWired
  2. 2024

    Christoph Salzmann discovered a new form of ice resembling liquid water.

    1 sourceWired
  3. 2005

    Mike Berners-Lee began researching climate change and carbon accounting.

    1 sourceWired

Potential Impact

  1. 01

    High-end bars may continue sourcing luxury ice for beverage differentiation.

  2. 02

    Sustainability discussions may influence luxury ice production practices.

  3. 03

    Home methods could reduce demand for commercial luxury ice products.

  4. 04

    Lab ice research might lead to new applications beyond beverages.

Transparency Panel

Sources cross-referenced1
Framing risk0/100 (low)
Confidence score75%
Synthesized bySubstrate AI
Word count173 words
PublishedApr 12, 2026, 11:00 AM
Bias signals removed4 across 2 outlets
Signal Breakdown
Loaded 2Editorializing 2

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