Ice Tools

A bar working with ice typically uses tongs for placing cubes by hand, a bucket for holding ice at the station, and a crusher or shaver where the drink list calls for crushed or shaved ice. Larger venues add an electric shaver.

An alligator ice crusher is a manual crusher with two toothed jaws that close on the ice and break it as the handles are squeezed together. It is a bar-top tool for small batches rather than continuous crushed-ice service.

Crushed ice is cubes broken into irregular chips that still have hard edges, which suits juleps and tiki drinks. Shaved ice is cut into fine flakes by a blade, producing a soft, snow-like texture used for desserts.

A manual ice shaver is cheaper and needs no power, and suits a bar shaving ice for a handful of drinks a service. An electric shaver handles continuous volume, which matters where shaved ice appears on the dessert menu.

Ice tongs place individual cubes into a glass without hands touching the ice, which matters for food safety at the bar. A scoop moves ice in bulk between machine and bucket, so most bars keep both rather than choosing one.