Home Hacks: How To Set Aesthetic Fruity & Floral Ice Cubes

The pursuit of the perfect aesthetic is one of the many defining influences of social media on everyday life. From homes intricately-inspired by Pinterest boards to home-cooking underpinned by a viral Tik Tok recipe – that endless scroll is shaping our lives – both knowingly and sub-consciously – in so many different ways. Cue freezers stacked with “gourmet ice,” the unlikeliest of trends to emerge in 2023. These aesthetic forms of ice can take several shapes and forms, my favourite being fruity and floral ice cubes!

Who would have known that a simple ice cube tray could be manipulated in innumerably revelatory manners to yield ice cubes so unimaginably-attractive, it would almost be a sin to use them. Almost. As it turns out, orange rose ice cubes are a perfect match for your next Mimosa, while fruity ice cubes can be added to just about any cocktail or mocktail.

The true beauty of aesthetic ice lies in its simplicity, as most of the time you don’t need more than five minutes of your time and a couple of ingredients from your kitchen to set these ice cubes. The entire process is a minimal-effort one with a high reward ratio, uplifting even the most mundane moment of your day with a fanciful dash of whimsy.

Tips For Setting Fruity & Floral Ice Cubes

Choose an appropriate ice cube tray: different shapes and forms of ice require different types of trays. For instance, deeper ice cube trays are preferred for orange rose ice cubes given the larger size of the orange slices compared to say cucumber rose ice cubes, which can be set in a regular ice cube tray.
Use an appropriate liquid to set the ice: water is the most obvious base and is apt if you will be using your ice cubes for to elevate a simple mocktail or even set a jug of “spa water” at home! However, if you will be pairing these ice cubes with a cocktail, you could always add tonic or even juice as the base. Tonic works well for cucumber roses that can be added to G&Ts while your juice of choice is a good idea for ice cubes that transform champagne or sparkling wine into mimosas.
Be creative! Once you start experimenting, the possibilities of aesthetic ice cubes are endless! You can scour the internet for ice cube trays fashioned in fun shapes (rose or butterfly ice cubes anyone?) or tinker around with the flavours you set your ice with. Festive ice cubes are one of the simplest and most impressive hacks for Christmas cocktails, infused with the warmth of all your favourite spices from cloves and cardamom to star anise!

Hacks For Setting Aesthetic Ice Cubes

Rose Cubes

Orange rose ice cubes are one of those things you’re going to want to have on stand-by for your next Spritz or Mimosas. You will need a deep-enough ice cube tray to make these:

Start by slicing your orange into rounds. Slice some (but not all) of these rounds into halves.

Arrange the slices in a deep enough ice cube tray as shown in the video below, curling the slices inwards into a rose shape. Fold the halved orange slices and insert them in the centre of the rose.
Pour in just enough orange juice or any liquid of choice to hold up the base. Don’t add too much, as this would submerge the rose!
Freeze until set and then add your aesthetic rose ice cubes to your next Aperol Spritz or any cocktail of choice. For instance, you could add these orange roses to a champagne coupe to make mimosas.

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A post shared by Ayushi Gupta-Mehra (@the_foodiediaries)

You could similarly, make cucumber rose ice cubes:

Thinly slice 1-2 large cucumbers (into round slices).
Fan the slices out in a small ice cube tray, layering them to arrange the slices in a flower shape.
Add tonic (or water), just about enough to set the base.

You could use these cucumber rose ice cubes for your next G&T or add them to a jug of of water to transform it into the infused water you typically find at spas!

Fruity Ice Cubes

These couldn’t be simpler to make , as all you have to do is fill an ice cube tray with:

Chopped fruits of choice: I love adding pomegranate seeds, blueberries and diced kiwi, but feel free to tailor your’s with your favourite add-in’s.
A few wedges of lemon for a zesty burst of flavour.
A sprig or few of mint (optional) but highly recommended for a vibrant touch of freshness.

You can top this with water but juice/ tonic/ coconut water make for a wonderful choice too if you don’t wish to dilute your drink.

Coffee Ice Cubes

The next time you have any coffee leftover, don’t throw it out! Just pour it out into any ice cube tray and set coffee ice cubes instead.

Simply add milk (or your Mylk) of choice to these coffee ice cubes, give it a stir and you have iced coffee when you next crave it! You could also toss these coffee ice cubes into the blender when you’re blitzing together a smoothie – or smoothie bowl – for a caffeine spike.