1. Get Out of the Sno-Cone Rut
With products as diverse as kakigori from Japan to sno-cones from New Orleans, shave ice has become an international sensation. Why not? It’s delicious. Devon emphasizes the importance of testing before adding a syrup to this machine as “all syrups will react differently with the shave ice (different sugar percentages), so do a test first”. (Nice tip if you’re serving the dessert to guests!) When it involves those simple syrups, it’s easy: It’s only one part sugar to at least one part water. “Dissolve the sugar, then infuse the syrup together with your favorite fruits for color and flavor.”
2. Think Beyond Water
Think beyond H2O: coffee cubes; juice cubes; tea cubes; milk cubes. Most sorts of ice should be tempered (rested at temperature for about 10 minutes) for the simplest results when shaving; otherwise, the ice is just too cold to shave properly. Devon adds, “Infusing milk with vanilla or cinnamon before freezing it into pucks can create an entire new pathway for shave ice.” She’d also wish to try it “with lemon syrup, maybe some poppyseed, lemon peel , even a meringue on top.”
And you don’t got to stick with one puck. “Pre-freeze different colors and flavors of puck so you’ll shave layers into each glass!” Add color by adding a colourful fruit syrup, or turmeric.” You’ll need to experiment to form sure you’re not adding an excessive amount of sugar to your puck, which may affect freezing.
3. Plan Ahead
The same way you would possibly freeze cubes of stock or soup, consider storing pre-made ice pucks (or juice pucks, or coffee pucks) in another container inside your freezer. “Ice harvesting” will make sure you always have ice available when the occasion involves it.
4. Add Cream
Hawaiian shave ice can sometimes have frozen dessert on rock bottom , ice on top. Or drizzle milk over the highest for a creamy (yet still icy) result. You can also get coconut milk with sugar on top, or use matcha or Thai ice tea for a light dessert. Devon recommends starting with a frozen yogurt for a light dessert.
5. Leave It Fluffy or Pack It
Pro tip alert: Fluffy ice will melt in your mouth but also will melt quickly within the glass—especially after a syrup is added. employing a large spoon or spatula to softly pack the ice will help it last longer and can enhance the definition between different colors of syrup. (And consider chilling those glasses!)
6. Make Your Cocktails Frozen
For recipes with alcohol, don’t let your puck exceed 8% ABV for correct freezing. (You want it hard enough to shave.) Remember you’ll add alcohol and mixers and therefore the end. The sky’s the limit, here: Use mixers! Make a shave-ice margarita! (How a few prickly pear lime margarita?!) we’ve such a splendid array of cocktail mixes, including this knockout guava-ginger number from Casamigos. And don’t forget bubbles: Avec sparkling cocktails are primo poured over shave ice.
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