Gourmet Ice Machines Guide
Gourmet ice machines have become a popular choice for operators of bars, lounges, restaurants, and hotels looking to elevate their drink presentations, especially when craft cocktails are on the menu. Although it may have once been a niche product offering, the growing selection of equipment in this category now produces several types of gourmet ice from many of the industry's top brands. Below, you can learn more about choosing the right gourmet ice machine for your commercial business.
What is Gourmet Ice?
Gourmet ice is larger than a typical ice cube and often specially shaped to add an upscale element to any drink. In addition to enhancing the visual appeal of beverages, the increased sizes of gourmet cubes, top hat ice, and spherical ice mean they melt more slowly than traditional cubes and other smaller alternatives. This makes gourmet varieties perfect for specialty cocktails, traditional mixed drinks, and liquor served on the rocks, as they allow guests to enjoy drinks before melting ice can water them down.
Types of Gourmet Ice
There are fewer ice maker models available for gourmet ice than in other ice machine categories, but foodservice and hospitality operators will still need to choose between multiple gourmet ice machine options to find the one that best fits their needs. As with standard ice types, gourmet ice shapes are often given a unique name by the companies that provide the equipment to make them, which may result in manufacturers referring to the same shape in different terms. To help streamline the selection process, KaTom standardizes the types of gourmet ice by ice shape regardless of manufacturer terminology.
The gourmet ice cube category includes four types of gourmet ice: top hat, extra-large cube, bullet, and sphere.
- Top hat ice gets its name because the shape resembles a formal top hat, with a wide band around the base of the cube and a tall body that may be squared or rounded.
- Extra-large cube ice looks like a larger version of traditional cube ice, so operators can top drinks off with oversized square ice cube.
- Bullet ice, which is shaped like a slightly elongated dome, offers a similar visual appeal to top hat ice with a sleek, rounded spin.
- Sphere ice, true to its name, is a fully rounded type of gourmet ice, which previously had to be made in small batches via molds.
Below, you'll find a list of our gourmet ice machine manufacturers and the type of gourmet ice the brand offers.
- Eurodib imports Brema® ice makers, which produce top hat ice.
- Hoshizaki primarily manufactures machines capable of producing top hat ice but also offers models for spherical ice and extra-large cube ice.
- ITV Ice Makers gourmet ice machines create top hat ice.
- Ice-O-Matic also offers several different machines that produce top hat ice.
- Kold-Draft's catalog includes undercounter and head-and-bin models that make extra-large cube ice.
- Manitowoc Ice offers a gourmet ice maker that creates top hat ice.
- Maxx Ice machines create bullet cubes, which is a shape unique to the brand.
- Scotsman manufactures a large selection of top hat ice makers.
- Summit is another option for operations serving top hat ice.
Sizing a Gourmet Ice Machine
It's important to know how much ice your gourmet ice maker will need to produce each day to keep up with customer demand. When calculating this amount, consider your maximum requirement and purchase a unit that produces more than you need rather than less. Production capacities for ice makers are based on ideal ambient and water temperatures that may not be possible in the typical commercial kitchen environment, so your machine will likely produce less than its maximum estimated production capacity. For more information on how much ice you may need, check out our guidelines on how much your ice maker should produce.
Gourmet Ice Machine Options
Most gourmet ice makers are undercounter models that can be installed as freestanding units or placed beneath an existing countertop. These usually have 24-hour production capacities of less than 100 pounds of ice, but undercounter options for businesses requiring more than 100 pounds of ice each day are available. Extra-large cubes are the only type of gourmet ice currently produced by head-and-bin combos, which make hundreds of pounds of ice each day. These floor models are better suited to high-volume operations, such as hotels, event spaces, and busy restaurants that can afford to dedicate more back-bar or back-of-house layout to the production of gourmet ice.
53-lb. maximum daily ice production
25-lb. storage capacity
65-lb. maximum daily ice production
26-lb. storage bin capacity
102-lb. maximum daily ice production
55-lb. storage bin capacity
118-lb. maximum daily ice production
60-lb. storage bin capacity
102-lb. maximum daily ice production
55-lb. storage bin capacity
150-lb. maximum daily ice production
125-lb. storage bin capacity
50-lb. maximum daily ice production
36-lb. maximum ice storage capacity
352-lb. daily ice production
(with 70-degree F ambient air and 50-degree F incoming water)
Knowing which type of gourmet ice you want to serve, how much ice you'll need each day, and what gourmet ice machine configuration your space can accommodate will help narrow down the options. If high-volume production is more important than uncommon ice shape, a head-and-bin unit that makes extra-large cube ice may be the best fit for your operation. If your goal is to pair your drink menu with a unique type of gourmet ice made in the bar area, an undercounter machine creating top hat ice or spheres may be able to produce enough ice to meet your needs.
