Ever wonder why an iced drink on a blog or in a magazine looks so good? It’s not just about the tea or other beverage that you’re serving, it’s also about the ice. Ice plays two roles in a drink: it cools the drink and enhances the look of your beverage. Ice isn’t merely a bit player in your beverage. It’s the co-star!

With that in mind here’s a simple trick to properly icing a drink, passed on to me by Blink Tea food stylist Terry Schacht, in three easy steps: 

Step one: fill your glass with ice.

Step two: fill your glass only half-way with the beverage you’re serving (we’re using Organic Elderberry Hibiscus), and wait about 15 seconds or so for the ice to settle into the glass. Ice obviously melts, and that’s what you’re waiting for it to do, to compress down a bit. 

Step three: top up your glass with more ice, and then add the rest of your beverage. All you then need to do is add a garnish or straw.
 
Icing your drink in this manner will give it that deluxe iced look that you commonly see on a blog or in a magazine spread. It makes the drink look ever more refreshing and inviting. Try it once, and you’ll use this trick all the time. 

It’s crucial to have enough ice on hand if you’re planning to serve iced drinks. You always need more than you think. I always pick up however many bags of ice I think I need plus one extra. If you end up with too much ice not to worry. It’ll keep for a good month in the freezer.