Post #355765 by GatorRob on Fri, Jan 18, 2008 9:50 AM

Okay, but this still begs the question, is there a difference between blending a drink with crushed ice for 5 seconds (or pulsing it 5 times as I do) versus shaking the same drink in a cocktail shaker? The only advantage I can see to blending versus shaking in this case is capacity. If I'm making two Navy Grogs at once, I'd use the blender versus the shaker. Of course, "frozen" drinks are an entirely different matter, requiring the blender for a different reason.

And a quick word about ice crushers. I have two: the ice dispenser in my fridge and a countertop vintage Oster. The Oster crushes ice more uniform in size than does the fridge dispenser, but you can't beat the fridge for speed. Also, my Oster tends to get jammed up easily, which frustrates me to no end. I tend to have it on the "course" setting as I find the "fine" setting produces crystals that are too small and melt too quickly.

One last thing! When using crushed ice, FILL the glass with ice. This will chill the drink faster and prevent the ice from melting too quickly in the glass.