An ice bar, sometimes associated with an ice hotel is a drinking establishment primarily made of ice. The bars usually contain ice sculptures and other formations and are kept at low temperatures (generally about -5° C) to hinder melting. The walls and seating are also usually made of ice. Mostly a novelty, the ice bar is often considered a tourist destination. Visitors enter for timed stays and even staff work on time-limited shifts. The most popular drinks served at ice bars are ice-cold vodka shots, or cocktails mixing vodka with a berry puree. The Icebar in Orlando is the first and largest permanent ice bar in America. The ice sculptures are created by a Master Carver who has won awards in the international Ice Carving Olympics and also in Harbin, China at the worlds largest ice festival. Made from over 50 tons of ice, the interior features a crystal palace with throne, fireplace, sofa and chairs all carved into exquisite designs. The cocktails are served in glasses molded from clear ice and are a special design created by a local supplier.
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Famous quotes containing the words ice and/or bar:
“...there was the annual Fourth of July picketing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. ...I thought it was ridiculous to have to go there in a skirt. But I did it anyway because it was something that might possibly have an effect. I remember walking around in my little white blouse and skirt and tourists standing there eating their ice cream cones and watching us like the zoo had opened.”
—Martha Shelley, U.S. author and social activist. As quoted in Making History, part 3, by Eric Marcus (1992)
“The bar ... is an exercise in solitude. Above all else, it must be quiet, dark, very comfortable—and, contrary to modern mores, no music of any kind, no matter how faint. In sum, there should be no more than a dozen tables, and a clientele that doesn’t like to talk.”
—Luis Buñuel (1900–1983)