What’s more delightful and satisfying than cold, ice-based beverages, especially during the summertime? Even if it’s not warm outside, you might be preparing for a party, or maybe you just want to add a fancy touch to your margaritas.

Serving your drink over crushed ice is a simple and easy way to have a sophisticated, dressed-up drink. It’s true, you might need to give it two or three trials before you get the hang of it. However, it won’t be long before you get the perfect consistency for your smoothies and cocktails.

Do you want a closer look at how ice-blended drinks are made? We’ve got you covered. 

Before You Start!

Well, you might be rushing to get your blender and take out your ice cubes from the freezer, but before we get to that part, you need to take notice of the following tips:

It’s important that you refer back to the owner’s manual for your blender model and give it a quick review. Make sure your blender is suitable for crushing ice.

A glass Pitcher is strong and can withstand the ice crashing process. On the other hand, plastic models are flimsy are more susceptible to breakage.

You also need to make sure that your blender has enough wattage to crush the ice.

If you have lost your manual, or it is of no help, we will give you tips on how to figure out if you can use your blender for crushing ice by the end of the article. 

How to Crush Ice in a Blender?

First, take out the ice from your freezer and rest it on the kitchen counter. Allow it to stay there for a good three to five minutes. This will make it a bit more pliable and easier to blend. 

It’s better to use small ice cubes when you are starting out to make sure your blender won’t overheat.

Take out your blender and place the ice in the pitcher. Don’t completely fill your container. Instead, fill the pitcher about a third full with your ice cubes. This way, there’s plenty of space for the ice to bounce around.

Before you begin to pulverize the ice, make sure the lid is secured on your blender and pulse the blender about five to seven times in quick, two-second bursts.

You can try adding small amounts of water or juice to make this process go faster.

 Once you get the feeling your motor isn’t struggling anymore, start chopping the ice at a medium speed. Some blenders have specific features, and you can set it to achieve coarse or fine crushed ice.

The ice will then start to chum. If your blender has a handy mounted stock lid, you can use it to manipulate the ice and help it to crush more evenly. If it doesn’t, then you can take the pitcher off the base and give it a good shake to move the ice around.

When you get to the desired consistency, switch off your blender. Move the crushed ice to a special bucket that is designed to isolate the ice from the surrounding heat to avoid melting.

When you are ready to serve your cocktails, you will have a nice, even snow style crush just like the one professional bartenders use.

Some tips that will help you get better results

• It’s preferable to crush the ice right before you use it whenever possible. Use fresh fruits to make sure your drinks taste better.
• To avoid making a mess, hold the lid of the blender whenever the motor is running so that it doesn’t come off. It’s not a good idea to use carbonated beverages inside your blender.
• Lastly, and the most obvious tip to keep your blender clean after each use, especially if you are switching to a different cocktail or drink. 

How to Know If Your Blender is Suitable for Crushing Ice If You’ve Lost the Instruction Manual?

Well, the answer is simple. You will need to test your blender. Of course, there is another way to go if you don’t want to risk breaking your pitcher which is, to manually crush the ice. However, ice cubes tend to be slippery and are pesky to pin down.

To test your blender, make sure to use small ice cubes. If you feel like they are bigger than they should be, you can try to manually break them up a little before any attempts to crush them using the blender.

Put the cubes in the pitcher and then set it to give a slow pulse for a few seconds. Proceed with caution and notice if it is about to cause any damage. You should be able to get a good sense of whether your blender is designed to crush ice or not. If not, then maybe it’s time to get a new one!