Variety is the ice of life
Scotsman ice offers eight different varieties for every possible food & drink application
Cubes, dice, nuggets and flakes can all be found in a casino. But not necessarily at the gaming tables - they are all different types of ice. Nowadays, with the advent of cocktail restaurants, themed bars and gastro pubs, an increasingly sophisticated clientele is demanding a greater variety of specialist drinks that require a distinctive and unique presentation. Caterers and licensees are stretched to their limits just keeping up with it all. Some establishments are installing three separate ice machines, or even more - to produce the right ice for the job.
The Scotsman ice machine range from Hubbard Ice Systems offers eight different styles of ice. Each type has different melting and cooling characteristics, different looks and behaviour.
The most popular ice type, worldwide, is the 'Supercube' from Hubbard's Scotsman ACM range. Familiar to two generations of bar staff, it looks good in the glass with an instantly recognisable 'thimble' shape. Its exceptional purity results in slow melting and superb chilling power, making it a great all-round ice cube. In addition the shape and 'hardness' means the Supercubes are less prone to sticking together in the storage bin or ice bucket.
Many establishments, especially smaller cocktail bars, will couple a Supercube machine with an ice-crushing machine such as the Scotsman 360 for maximum versatility.
Cocktail bars and restaurants using larger amounts of flaked ice will normally choose one of the Scotsman AF range of dedicated flaked ice machines. In cocktails, such as juleps and frozen daiquiris, flaked ice mixes quickly and well, while it makes a fine bed for chilled food displays such as salads and seafood.
Flaked ice is often mistakenly called 'crushed ice'. In fact, the ice from a machine such as the Scotsman AF80 is 'shaved' from a continuously forming layer and has slightly different characteristics from cubes that go through a dedicated crusher such as the Hubbard Crushman 360. It's usually better to have a dedicated flaked ice machine. However, if space or drainage is a problem, or it's only needed occasionally, the Crushman is a perfect solution.
The traditional square 'dice' cubes - are suitable for more general use, and especially for bulk cooling. Bars and restaurants will find it convenient to have on hand this type. Produced by high-output modular units, the hard square cubes of dice ice are ideal for jobs such as filling wine buckets and beer bottle dumps, as well as backup for the more specialist ice machines, for the occasional very busy period.
Scotsman's 'Contour' ice cube is an excellent all-rounder. These 'pillow' shaped cubes are relatively new; their angular edges sparkle effectively in light and fill a glass well. Originally designed with quick-service restaurants in mind, their shape is designed to 'cushion' the impact of the drink as it is poured and avoid splashback. Contour is perfect for bottle dumps and for fancy effects and displays.
The Scotsman range also includes other specialist ice forms: Nugget ice, Superflake ice and Scale ice, aimed at more specialist markets, such as food manufacturing or fish processing.
