"size" news and stories

Ice isn't just ice. At least when it comes to your cocktails. If you're going to be using premium spirits and premium mixers, then you should think about your ice as well. Ice has become a topic of much discussion by top mixologists and cocktailians around the world. Designer ice is becoming the rage.

The first thing to consider is what type of water? Filtered, spring, mineral, etc. Many high end bars are using premium bottled water like Fiji water. Others are using filtered and triple distilled water.

The next is the size and shape of the cube. Crushed ice melts fast and is great for soda, but not in a cocktail. Hand chipped ice is great because you can control the size of the chips. Larger pieces melt slower and also can help with muddling citrus or mint into the drink. Also it looks great as it sparkles and reflects in the drink. Some places are trying different shapes such as large cubes and spheres. These have large surface area, but melt slow, so they chill the drink but don't water it down too fast.

So it all depends upon the purpose you plan to use the ice for. Small pieces for cooling fast and watering down the drink. Middle size pieces for tall drinks like a G&T or for shaking in cocktails. Large, regular sized and shaped pieces for a fine spirit on the rocks, so it chills it but doesn't water it down too much.

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After more than five years of pressure from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, McDonald's recently announced that it will change the design of its McFlurry cups to make them less dangerous to hungry hedgehogs. Apparently the little critters are prone to crawling into discarded cups to lap up the last of the melted ice cream only to find themselves stuck there. The result is often death by starvation and dehydration, according to The Times. The new cups will have smaller openings that should make them harder for hedgehogs to get into.

[Via Boing Boing]

I recently stumbled across Minimus, an online retailer that specializes in individually wrapped foods designed for travel. I don't know that I'll ever need to mail-order a single packet of Saltines or two Grissini breadsticks ($0.06 and $0.11, respectively), but having a few packets of Frank's Red Hot Hot Sauce in the glove box or carry-on bag might not be a bad idea. The Minimus FAQ also states quite clearly that "[n]one of our items are from hotel guests or from restaurant tables." Still, it seems like some of these things aren't usually offered for individual sale. The disposable tea stick seems kind of cool, although I don't know why it would be any better than a regular tea bag. Like the entire site, maybe it's the novelty that's drawn me in.

Out of all the food trends we heard about back in December and January, there was one that is clearly becoming a big deal on th packaged food scene: miniature packaging, aka 100-calorie packs. "100 calories!" seems to be the hot new slogan on food products these days. The past three years have seen the market for portion-controlled packets go from 0 to more than 25 different foods. USA Today reports that 18 of the new products were introduced in 2005 alone. With more coming along this year, there is no indication that this trend is slowing.

Some of the newer products include 100-calorie sodas from brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Shasta. These sodas have a mere 8-ounces per can, fewer than the more standard 12-ounces, and are marketed as being more portable than their full-sized counterparts. Coco-Cola says that they're marketed at consumers who wish to "improve their snacking and drinking opportunities."

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