science
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.
Apr 12, 7:00 AM·1m read1 source
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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.
