Ice luges, used for cooling drinks, are bricks of ice with hollow, meandering grooves carved in them. Drinks that are poured in from one end of the groove come out of the other end perfectly cooled.
All of us, some time or the other, have been guilty of forgetting to put the drinks in the ice bucket or chill tray before a party. The guests arrive, thirsty for cocktails, but have to be kept waiting while the drinks cool. The general restlessness, impatience and awkward, gloomy silence that follow are any host’s worst nightmare.
Ice luges eliminate the need for all the prior planning and your drinks can be cooled instantly. Now guests need not wait for their drinks and you can get your party started. No surprise then, that ice luges are considered by many to be the ultimate party apparatus.
Centrepieces
A lovely bouquet of flowers makes for a great centrepiece, but is extremely predictable. Why not opt for an ice sculpture as something unusual and exciting? The best part is that ice sculptures can easily be turned into ice luges and worked so that the drink can be poured through and cooled at the same time. This is especially great if you are hosting a themed party. With the advent of winter, you can have a snow themed party with snowflake cut-outs, silver glitter and a sparkling snowman ice luge as the centrepiece.
They can also be moulded into guns for a Bond theme party, skulls for a Halloween bash, anchors for a marine do or any other shape to fit your theme. You can have them as centrepieces even if you are not too keen on ice luges moulded into shapes. Some ice luges are made by freezing flowers, fruits and leaves like holly and mistletoe in the ice. These look gorgeously elegant without being too flamboyant.
A Must-Have
An increasing number of people are considering ice luges to be a necessity during a party. You can use them to cool a smaller quantity of drinks at a time, so all the guests can have a chilled glass no matter when they arrive. Moreover, you will never fall short of cool beverages – if your guests consume more than anticipated, you can bring out that extra bottle and have the drink chilled in a jiffy.
When used as a centrepiece, they look stunning, add to the decor, and there is less to clean up afterwards unlike elaborate petal centrepieces, flower arrangements or candles. So, do not let your party be a bore, keep the drinks flowing and the conversation going with funky ice luges.
This article on ice luge was written by Tom Rogers.