Giada cosmo ice cubes from Giada De Laurentiis freeze cranberries and clementine wedges inside cranberry juice cubes that chill cocktails without diluting them. And the batch takes about 5 minutes to assemble before freezing solid, since the only work is slicing fruit and pouring juice.
Regular ice cubes melt into plain water and thin out whatever drink they sit in, but these cubes are made from cranberry juice mixed with water. So as they melt, they add cranberry flavor back into the glass instead of washing it out, which keeps a cosmopolitan tasting stronger from the first sip to the last.
Placing the cranberries and clementine wedges into each cube slot before pouring the liquid is the order that keeps the fruit centered. And if you pour the juice first and drop the fruit in after, the pieces float to the top and freeze lopsided instead of sitting evenly inside each cube.
Source: Giada De Laurentiis (Giadzy.com)
Giada Cosmo Ice Cubes
Course: DrinksCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes5
kcalTwo cranberries and one clementine wedge go into each ice cube slot before a mixture of cranberry juice and water pours over them. Then the tray freezes solid and the cubes drop into holiday cocktails or sparkling water.
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 clementine, unpeeled, quartered and sliced into 15 wedges
3/4 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup water
Directions
- Place the fruit: Drop 2 cranberries and 1 clementine wedge into each ice cube slot.
- Mix the liquid: Then combine the cranberry juice and water in a liquid measuring cup.
- Pour into the tray: Once mixed, pour the juice evenly into each cube slot.
- Freeze solid: Then place the tray in the freezer until the cubes are completely frozen through.
- Use in drinks: Once solid, pop the cubes into a holiday cosmopolitan or sparkling water.
FAQs
Can I use frozen cranberries instead of fresh?
Frozen cranberries work and actually hold their shape better inside the ice cube since they are already firm. And they do not need to thaw before placing in the tray, because they freeze right along with the juice.
But fresh cranberries give a brighter pop of color if presentation matters for a holiday party. Since both types taste the same once frozen, the choice comes down to what you have on hand.
What drinks work best with these ice cubes?
Giada suggests cosmopolitans and sparkling water on the source page, and the cranberry flavor complements any vodka-based cocktail. Since the melting cubes add cranberry sweetness as the drink sits, they pair especially well with dry or tart cocktails that benefit from a gradual flavor boost.
And for another Giada drink to serve at the same holiday party, the giada limoncello pours cold from the freezer as a digestivo after dinner. But these cubes also work in non-alcoholic spritzers, because the cranberry juice and citrus wedges dress up plain soda water without any alcohol at all.
How far ahead can I make these?
The cubes keep in the freezer for up to 2 months in a sealed freezer bag once they pop out of the tray. And making them weeks before a holiday party means one less thing to prep the day of.
But the clementine wedges can develop a slightly bitter taste if stored longer than 2 months, because the peel breaks down over time in the frozen juice. So label the bag with the date and use the oldest cubes first.
Can I use a different juice or fruit?
Pomegranate juice swaps in directly and gives the cubes a deeper ruby color with a slightly more tart flavor. And orange juice works too, though it changes the character from a cranberry cocktail accent to more of a mimosa-style cube.
For the fruit inside, raspberries or small mint leaves add a different visual than cranberries. And the same freeze-fruit-first technique works regardless of what you put inside, since the liquid sets around whatever sits in the slot.
Why does the recipe mix juice with water instead of using straight juice?
Pure cranberry juice freezes harder and takes longer to melt, which means the cubes sit in the glass without releasing flavor for the first several minutes. And cutting it with water softens the freeze point, so the cubes start melting at a rate that steadily flavors the drink.
The half-and-half ratio also keeps the sweetness balanced, because undiluted cranberry juice can overpower a cocktail as multiple cubes melt. And for another Giada recipe where dilution ratio matters, the espresso soak in the giada tiramisu dissolves powder in hot water at a specific strength so the ladyfingers absorb flavor without getting overwhelmed.
