28
Sep
With summer just around the corner, it’s time to start preparing to face the scorching Australian sun again. Sipping on icy cold drinks is one of the best ways to battle the rising temperatures and cool off once the extreme heat takes over.
Drinking cold, refreshing beverages during summer months won’t only keep you active for longer hours, but they’ll also protect you from dehydration and heatstroke. Crisp drinks keep your body from overheating by helping it maintain lower core temperature. Moreover, the colder the drink, the harder your body will work to heat it up and that means you’ll burn some extra calories. Add that to the bicep curls any time you raise a pint and you got yourself a decent workout. *chuckles*
Anyways, nothing can top a properly chilled drink on a hot sunny day, no matter if you’re working, exploring the great outdoors or just chilling around the house. That’s why you should check out this simple guide to colder drinks that’ll help you chill tipples like a pro and beat the hot weather.
Australia is the motherland of koozies, so it’s only fair to start this guide with our iconic drink huggers. Back in the 70s, Shane Walsh invented a sleeve made from foam that quickly became known as a stubby holder because of the short, squat design. The stubby holder immediately won the hearts of Aussie surfers and has been a part of surfer’s culture ever since.
Nowadays, you can still find soft sleeves that’ll keep your drinks somewhat crisp, but it’s time you discover stubby holders with a twist and never experience the horrors of lukewarm beer again! There’re stubby coolers made of stainless steel that will bravely protect your drinks from the blazing rays. These bad boys will help you keep your cool for longer anywhere you go.
The StubZero, pun intended, is an incredible stubby cooler that’ll keep your drinks colder for up to 5 times more, compared with regular stubby coolers. The hot weather is no match for the heavy-duty double-walled vacuum that this stubby holder has. The StubZero is easy to carry around because it’s condensation-free, so your hands won’t get wet, plus the sleek design features tapered sides that ensure a comfortable fit in the hand. It comes in several different colours and it fits cans and bottles up to 375ml.
If you want to kick it old school, you can choose a holder made from foamy insulating materials. This one is an absolute must-have for those who need a daily dose of beer. It’s shaped like a prescription bottle and has a label that’ll keep those coldies coming.
If you want to skip koozies and sip on your favourite drink from a glass, you need to use the right glassware. There’re tons of different glass types out there and their purpose isn’t just to look fancy. Glassware can greatly affect the aesthetic, taste and temperature of your drink. If you want to keep your drinks cold for longer, opt for glasses that can be held by a stem or a handle to ensure you won’t warm your drink with your hands.
It’s also a good idea to pop your glasses in the freezer for some time to minimize the need for ice cubes which can water down your drink.
There’re certain tricks that bartenders use to avoid watering down the drinks. The first one is to use larger ice cubes which need more time to dilute. By the time they’re melted, you’ll be halfway done with your drink or you’ll be slurping on the last drops with your straw. You can also use a large sphere of ice that’ll melt more slowly than any cube. This is because spherical ice balls have less surface area that’s exposed to the warm liquid.
If you don’t want to invest in a large ice tray or make spherical ice, you can make your ice cubes tastier. This way, they won’t water down your drink and can add a dash of interesting flavour. Instead of freezing plain water, add coffee, mint, juice or fruits to your tray and let the freezer do its magic. Then, use the tasty cubes in your iced coffee, cocktails or enjoy neat drinks with a slight twist.
You can also give the reusable ice cubes a chance, but be careful because some of them contain toxic ingredients that could damage your internal organs. The safest option is to use reusable ice cubes made from food-grade steel.
There’re times when you run out of cold drinks and you need a refill ASAP. These two tricks will come in handy every time you’re in a hurry and you don’t have a cold one ready.
The first trick is to add rock salt in your cooler or mix water, ice and salt in a large bowl then throw in your bottles and cans. The reason this works is backed by science. To put it simply, the salt lowers the freezing point of the ice and when the cubes start to melt, the salt keeps the water super cold.
The second trick is commonly known, but it’s still worth mentioning. You’ll need to wrap your cans or bottles in wet paper towels (damp, not soaking wet), then pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. The water from the towel will quickly evaporate when exposed to the dry, cold environment of the freezer and provide rapid cooling.
If your koozies, large ice cubes and chilled glassware fail to keep your drinks cold, you might want to chug faster or keep your drinks short and refill your glass more often. And if you want your stubby holder to do its job, then, you should properly chill your drinks before enrobing them in cool outfits.
