Summer is here and the warm weather means loading up your cocktails with ice to keep them chilled. But how can you keep your drink cold without watering them down? Inventor Jason Sherman of Beyond Zero has the answer: alcohol made out of ice.
Anyone with drinking experience knows that most alcohols don’t freeze well, so Sherman created a machine that changes that. His startup makes a machine that turns any liquor into ice that is 76 degrees colder than your average cube. The liquid booze goes into one end of the machine and within minutes is dispensed as cubes of ice.
The entire process takes about two minutes, but the machine can be kept running during the day, which makes it a great choice for bars and restaurants. Cleanup is easy, too—the machines are designed so that everything will fit in the dishwasher or sink to be cleaned.
There are several models running from $10,000 for the fully automatic unit to $3,000 to $5,000 for the single serving and storage units. All three will be for sale for commercial use by the end of 2015. While the price is steep now, Sherman predicts that it will fall as the volume of sales picks up. Beyond Zero could mean the end of watered-down drinks in the future but for now, we’ll just have to throw back our drinks before the ice melts.