Do you really get more drink if you skip the ice?

Is this a nifty life hack or a total waste of time (Picture: Getty Images)

Welcome to The More You Know…Metro’s new series seeking to answer your mundane (but totally legitimate) life questions.

Whether it’s a £16 spicy Margarita in a crowded bar or a £5 pint of Diet Coke at the pub, the price of drinks these days can be overwhelming.

Some think they’ve found a solution. A common misconception spread on social media is that if you ask for a drink ‘without ice’, you’re going to get more for your money.

But does this ‘life hack’ actually mean you end up with a bigger, stronger bev? In reality, the experts say you’re just going to end up ruining your experience.

Does skipping the ice get you a bigger cocktail?

We’ve all seen videos of fancy drinks that look great on the surface — until you take out the oversized oblong ice cube and realize there are only three sips left.

(Picture: Getty Images)

To most punters, it might seem as though bartenders are on a mission to catch us out, using ice as a tool to skimp on the booze.

But Simone Spagnoli, the head of bars across popular city spots like Mr Fogg’s and Control Room B, swears that isn’t the case.

He tells Metro: ‘Ice is one of the most important ingredients in a cocktail, as its role in a cocktail is to keep the drink at the optimum temperature, to maximise enjoyment from the start to the very last sip, no one likes a warm drink after all.’

Simone explains that in order for the ice to dilute slowly, there needs to be an abundance of that very thing — so that the temperature of the cocktail remains low.

It’s a confusing concept, but in short, the ice slows down the melting of the ice…

He continues: ‘It is quite scientific, whereby the amount of ice is in direct correlation with the size of the drink (in millilitres). Too much ice will cool the drink, but dilute it too much, too little ice won’t cool or dilute it enough’. 

Many drinks are stirred or shaken with ice, whereby the dilution is controlled, such as with an Old Fashioned or Martini.

The bartender wants to reach a temperature which ensures the ingredients sing and the dilution has reached its optimum.

Simone adds that ‘for mixed drinks, such as G&Ts or Vodka & Tonics, the spirit, mixer and ice ratio is calculated for the glass it is made for, which is usually a highball’.

He himself has seen people share their annoyance on social media with the long rectangular ice cubes. He notes that these particular ice cubes provide less dilution and are therefore used when a drink contains premium ingredients.

Throwing his ring into the hat regarding the debate, Liam Hirt, founder of Circumstance Distillery in Bristol, also urges customers ‘don’t do it’.

The business owner tells Metro: ‘Asking your bartender for ‘no ice’ will mean you get a worse drink.

‘Good ice will keep the drink cool and therefore keep the CO2 dissolved for longer and the drink fizzier for longer. Removing the ice may also mean you get more mixer meaning you cant taste the spirit any longer’.

Take a classic Negroni. Simone insists that this cocktail, which has 90ml of alcohol (30ml gin, 30ml vermouth and 30ml bitter), will contain the same amount of alcohol if served with ‘no ice, regular ice cubes or a block of ice’.

Does skipping the ice get you a bigger Diet Coke?

The so-called ‘no ice’ life hack isn’t exclusive to the bar.

On the r/LifeProTips community on Reddit, one user recommended ‘ordering a drink with no ice at McDonald’s and then asking for a cup of ice when you’re at the door to pay’.

This plays into the speculation that by ditching the ice at a fast food chain restaurant, the server will fill up your cup all the way to the top – resulting in an even more indulgent sugar rush.

Could there really be a way to secure more Diet Coke at McDonald’s? (Picture by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

To bust this myth, Metro reached out to McDonald’s, who told us: ‘At McDonald’s, our cups feature two fill lines – one for drinks with ice and one without – and are filled, by our drinks machines, to the appropriate line based on the customer’s preference’.

Conspiracy debunked? Well, not entirely. McDonald’s policy only works if you go off the assumption that the server handling your order is following the ‘right’ instructions.

Long story short, be nice to people working in hospitality – the power they hold is immense.

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