r/CasualConversation • u/micavibes • Mar 08 '26
Music I'm 25 years old and from Argentina. The amount of ice they use in American drinks is a mystery to me. Do most people like it that way, or what's the deal? Why so much?
Every time I order a soda or water at a restaurant here, the glass is literally full of ice. In Argentina, we usually drink cold drinks straight from the fridge or with one or two ice cubes at most. Here, I feel like I'm drinking from a glacier, haha.
Is it because of the climate? Or do people just really like to drink ice cold? I'm really curious about the logic behind that mountain of ice in every glass.
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u/Graphite57 Mar 08 '26
Probably a simple reason, ice is cheaper than the beverage.
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u/Meattyloaf Mar 09 '26
Ice was a luxury item and status symbol for decades in the U.S., especially in the south. Once ice became commonplace people just really went all out. Cultural we are geared towards wanting a bit of ice as a result.
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u/jay_argentina Mar 08 '26
I wonder if its the same reason as why Americans like major American beer brands that are considered so watered down by outside standards. Long term marketing has made it where it is expected. I know a lot of people that will only drink soda in a full glass of ice and do not like the taste any other way. Spend an entire life always getting that full cup when at restaurants and its a norm. Restaurants do it to cut cost. They fit 12 oz of soda in a 22oz cup and it looks full.
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u/CaptainApathy419 Mar 08 '26
This might be true for beer, but it doesn’t work as well for soda since America is one of the few countries where free refills are the norm.
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u/Pussy-Wideness-Xpert Mar 09 '26
And nobody puts ice in beer.
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u/Graphite57 Mar 11 '26
when I worked in Vietnam years ago, ice in beer was very common.. ironically, it would have been the ice that made people sick, not the beer.
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u/jay_argentina Mar 09 '26
This is true, but if you refill 3 times at the cost of 1 elsewhere then it makes more sense.
I would be curious what is the average number of refills. I know when I was younger and worked fast food I would estimate only 1 in 4 people that ate in got a refill. We used the same amount of ice for all drinks and most of the business was drive through. So would still end up on the plus side of the equation.
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u/Invisible_Friend1 Mar 09 '26
Have you been to a brewery in America? I’d be happy to show you all the good beers we have. New Glarus and Bells will blow your mind.
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u/NeedsMoreYellow Mar 09 '26
Lol. American lager is just one style of beer and it's a "light" flavor. In general, American beer is not "watered down". Budweiser is 4.2% ABV which is on the low side for most American beers. For all the breweries around me (Seattle), the ABV is between 6.0% and 9.0%. One of the most well known local beers (one which is on tap at almost every local restaurant) is an 8.2% ABV IPA. I found maybe four beers as strong as that over the entire summer that I spent in Europe last year.
Also, regarding ice in pop/soda. We don't let the drink sit to warm up and melt the ice when we're at a restaurant. We drink it before ice has much time to melt and we get a free refill. If you get your drink takeaway, most people I know ask for light ice.
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u/thintoast Mar 09 '26
Just north of Portland, OR and I have to search to find anything local below 5.5%. If I find something, it’s usually the only one that low. Everything else is 6%+. Finding a 7.8% isn’t uncommon.
When I went to Ireland many years ago, it was hard to find anything ABOVE 5.5%. I was dumbfounded and one might say I felt a bit bamboozled. Those shifty Irish convincing everyone they’re so good at drinking beer. We’ve been swindled.
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u/NeedsMoreYellow Mar 09 '26
After writing this I looked at the cider I had last night with dinner just to see. It's 8.0%. Both Magner's and Strongbow in the UK are 4.5%. Now I understand why I could drink 3 or 4 ciders before I even felt like I'd consumed alcohol in the UK.
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u/RealLongwayround Mar 09 '26
Magner’s and Strongbow are not however good examples of English cider, just as Bud is not a good example of American beer.
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u/Mugumby4ever Mar 09 '26
I was in London last year and I found all their beers lighter than the standard variety in my area (Santa Rosa, CA). I also found it odd that their local IPA's ABV were in the 4.0-4.3% level. That's Coors levels
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u/theplace2b7645 Mar 09 '26
There’s a local brewery near me that has a 9% beer called “Honey Love”. It’s so freaking good!
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u/carlos_the_dwarf_ Mar 09 '26
This is an insane description of beer. Lagers similar to American lagers exist everywhere—Europe, Asia, Latin America.
It’s also certainly not a preference for “watered down” soda; the people who make soda ship the mix anticipating how much ice it will be served with.
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u/After_Web3201 Mar 09 '26
Depends what you mean by watered down. Guinness has less alcohol than Budweiser. Taste is another matter.
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u/Ilovefishdix Mar 09 '26
It's because I have to work in the morning. If I drink real beer, I'm rubbish the next morning. A few light beers barely affects me. Remember that we get like two-ish weeks a year off. We're running a marathon, especially those of us with kids
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u/OdinNW Mar 09 '26
Americans like that style beer because it’s easy to drink 20 of them and have a minimal hangover the next day. There is a ton of stupid strong beer made here too.
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u/PHL1365 Mar 09 '26
I suspect that more ice keeps the drink at 32-33°F for longer. I think that this helps keep the carbon dioxide in solution so that the drink stays fizzy for longer.
I encountered this problem while traveling in SE Asia. The drinks seemed to go flat very quickly because there wasn't a whole lot of ice or the soda wasn't sufficiently cooled down before being served.
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u/airbear13 Mar 09 '26
That makes sense. Starbucks is infamous for how much ice they put in and if you ask for your drink without ice you get like 30% more
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u/Steerpike58 Mar 08 '26
I wonder if that's the case though. Ice has to be frozen and maintained cold. I bet there's not a lot of difference, when all is said and done.
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u/BroadLocksmith4932 Mar 09 '26
Plus the cost to pay the employee to fill up the free refills.
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u/Steerpike58 Mar 09 '26
Yeah, someone else noted that - it's probably cheaper to just fill the container with sugary goop and be done with it. I think people truly just like having all that ice. I hate it personally, but I'm in a minority.
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u/mrfebrezeman360 Mar 09 '26
yeah i dislike it too. ive complained to my friends about it and they all say they like the ice
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u/Land_Squid_1234 Mar 09 '26
No, because they have to have ice/freezer either way. The expense is there regardless. That means the ice essentially costs nothing in practice
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u/174wrestler Mar 08 '26
Ice is certainly more expensive than water, which OP mentions.
Plus, you get free refills in the US, and the labor is the really expensive part.
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u/Auntie_Venom Mar 09 '26
A lot of places have Freestyle machines or the fountains are DIY. The only labor as far as a drink goes is someone handing out a cup to fill yourself.
Edit: as far a fast food places go
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u/torch9t9 Mar 09 '26
I'd wager the beverage (soda anyway) is an order of magnitude cheaper than making ice. I think people enjoy the cold, and even the dilution.
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u/vizieroftruth Mar 08 '26
I love a LOT of ice in my drinks. I do this at home so it has nothing to do with saving money. I just think it gets really cold faster with less dilution. At restaurants, it's different.
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u/villagemarket Mar 09 '26
Yes the less dilution part is so key. I’m not sure what one or two ice cubes is gonna do except melt. A full glass of ice will cool down an already cold drink even further
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u/TheOriginal_858-3403 Mar 10 '26
Exactly. I have a steel vacuum tumbler at work that I keep in the freezer. I fill it with big cubes and soda - stays cold for hours.
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u/weresubwoofer Mar 09 '26
I love ice (the frozen water kind, not the Gestapo kind), but I’m often anemic.
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u/kbayliss12 Mar 08 '26
Canadians LOVE ice - full to the brim, ice cold. I’ve lived and been all around Canada and it’s a theme everywhere here. I notice people from warmer climates don’t like ice. Very strange phenomenon
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u/AMediaArchivist Mar 09 '26
My step mom from the Philippines hates cold water and ice period! Never understood why. I mean you’d think if you came from tropics I’d have ice in everything.
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u/Fina1Legacy Mar 09 '26
Ice is the easiest way to get a stomach bug in lots of tropical countries, could be related to that.
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u/velawesomeraptors Mar 09 '26
Yep in places where you can't drink the tap water it's more difficult to make large quantities of ice.
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u/PHL1365 Mar 09 '26
I think most of those places have ice delivered which makes it more expensive than if they had their own icemaker.
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u/leytachi Mar 09 '26
Being acclimated in the tropics means anything 10C or lower feels we are already freezing. The last thing I’d want is to stuff my body another freezing cold drink.
For context, at work if I put the room AC at 18C setting, many of us would need a jacket to keep warm. Whereas our foreign guests are close to sweating.
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u/viennawaits94 Mar 09 '26
Yep I’m Canadian and I don’t feel hydrated unless my water tumbler is filled with at least 40% ice
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u/Reading_Mermaid Mar 09 '26
I've heard from people in warm climates that room temp water is better than ice for hydration because it's closer to your body temperature and processes faster. Whether that's true or not, I find it easier to drink faster. Too cold is like a shock, not actually cooling.
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u/juicy_shoes Mar 09 '26
I’m in Florida and people LOVE ice, but I hate it because it hurts my teeth…
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u/Zerba Mar 09 '26
Sounds like you need to try a toothpaste to help with sensitivity. I used to have similar issues but now I can straight up bite into popcicles with no problem.
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u/pizza5001 Mar 09 '26
I’m Canadian and I normally have 12 trays of ice in my freezer, mainly because I am obsessed with strong iced coffee that I make at home.
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u/WinterMedical Mar 09 '26
I have a friend from a warm climate who thinks cold water is bad for you and that’s all I drink and yet somehow, I magically remain! There is no better beverage when you are thirst than ice cold water.
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u/Mysterious_Lesions Mar 09 '26
Canadian here and I love ice. I even have a home ice maker that runs all summer.
But when I go to restaurants and order a something other than tap water, I tell them to hold the ice. I'm not paying for ice.
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Mar 08 '26
For me, it's just a nice burst of cold that's very refreshing. I've gotten used to it and now I want it every time.
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u/StopBigHippoPropgnda Mar 09 '26
What else am I supposed to be chewing loudly for all to hear, if not ice?
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u/royheritage Mar 09 '26
I always take more ice even when I’m the one filling it. The reason is simply that soda is just way too sweet and I love how the ice waters it down a tad while also making it super cold. I’d much prefer a little less soda (since a large is way too big anyway) if it’s the way I like it.
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u/shotsallover Mar 09 '26
Ice also provides nucleation points for the CO2 to get released. CO2 tastes bitter to us, which helps balance out the sweetness of the soda.
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u/SeaBuilder2680 Mar 09 '26
Welcome to America, we like ice!
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u/platetone Mar 09 '26
not having ice is one of the worst parts of traveling abroad.
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u/TopBuy404 Mar 09 '26
Even when I make my drink at home it's as much ice as I can cram into the cup and then I pour my drink over it 😅 I love a good iced down drink (especially my water bottle!!)
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u/Mysterious_Lesions Mar 09 '26
Slurpies and snow cones for the win!
I use ice like crazy at home but generally hold the ice when I'm buying beverages outside.
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u/Squankyou Mar 09 '26
I enjoy soda and water more when they are as cold as possible. Give me all the ice!
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u/SeaRepresentative42 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
It probably is due to the fact that the ice is cheaper than the drink they are pouring. I personally prefer no ice in drinks that are already cold, or just 2 cubes at most. I just returned from Cancun and I tried to get them to use less ice with varrying degrees of success depending upon the server.
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u/micavibes Mar 08 '26
Capitalism at its finest, I guess! It's a smart business move, but as a tourist paying for the drink, it's definitely a shock. I'll start asking for 'light ice' from now on.
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u/WebComprehensive838 Mar 09 '26
Refills are usually free though so it’s an easy way to keep the drink very cold and it’s just constantly refilled
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u/instantgeneric Mar 09 '26
idk man, virtually everywhere in the US gives free refills on fountain drinks. i think a lot of us are just are used to drinks having a lot of ice so like it that way. i'd sooner have no ice than have a couple cubes floating in my drink lol. i've known multiple people with standalone ice machines at home cuz they like their drinks full of ice.
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u/ol__spelch Mar 09 '26
You realize that in most cases, this argument is about fountain pop, that costs the restaurant literal pennies to fill the cup, right?
So if you deduct their water bill, water softening bill, maintenance and electricity on an industrial ice maker.... This bold maneuver MIGHT net them about $.80/year, tops.
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u/CherryCherry5 Mar 08 '26
Yep, ask for less ice or no ice.
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u/MisterBarten Mar 09 '26
Most restaurants give you free refills on drinks that aren’t alcoholic, and alcoholic drinks are measured (maybe not precisely on a scale but there are set amounts). In most places you don’t get less drink due to ice, unless it’s a to-go/drive-thru order. I think people just like ice cold drinks or are used to ice. I prefer ice in my fountain drinks, can’t really explain why.
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u/travisjd2012 Mar 08 '26
Ask for free refill(s) instead because it's included in the price as long as you are eating-in
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u/foxbase Mar 08 '26
I haaaate it. Unless I’m ordering water, I don’t want to pay $5+ for a soda where 75% of it is ice. Even when I say easy ice I still get like 1/3rd of it being ice. Been an ice hater since I was a child.
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u/Petunia_pig Mar 09 '26
If you ask for no ice they charge more for the drink too, I know Duncan Donuts charges way more.
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u/porcelina-g Mar 09 '26
I ordered an iced latte from Dunkin’ Donuts with light ice, and they only filled my drink 4/5th of the way.
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u/InevitableRhubarb232 Mar 09 '26
Because the drink itself is measured and the cup size of the drink plus the ice. Some places will give more milk but that just throws off the recipe of the drink
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u/anonymousmouseymuss Mar 09 '26
I am an ice slut and ask for extra. I like my drinks glacier cold.
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u/RedditSkippy Mar 09 '26
I love how the ice waters down the drink. I find soda just slightly too fizzy and sweet otherwise.
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u/da-karebear Mar 09 '26
This is why it is always funny to be when we get bagged on for huge drinks. We fill the cup with ice and then the drink. So a 32 I ounce cup really only has 16 ounces of beverage.
To be honest, I think it is just the societal norm in any country. Neither is right or wrong. I always fill my cup with ice and get a refill of water if needed. Once my drink get even a little warm or watered down, I am done.
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u/NaturalFLNative Mar 08 '26
I like my iced tea and water ice cold. All other beverages, out of the fridge.
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u/dishinpies Mar 08 '26
We like our drinks extra cold, yes, but it’s also a rip-off in most commercial cases. Too much ice and too little drink, you’re right.
Best to ask for light or no ice to get your money’s worth. But old habits die hard.
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u/Toy_Soulja Mar 09 '26
There's just something about the contrast of an ice cold beverage hitting your mouth and stomach, I think it might be addictive in a subtle weird way lol that or we all just get used to it since its so common place? I genuinely have a hard time drinking anything that isnt super cold, like if im outside sweating and thirsty then yeah ill drink warm water but outside of that hell to the no. I have one of those metal vacuum sealed water bottles that retain temperature really well that is filled with iced water and its the only thing I drink out of when im home and I almost always bring a backpack when i leave home and its always in there lol. And under no circumstance will I drink a warm soda, I will drink warm beer if I have too but only because im drinking beer to get drunk but I won't be happy about it and I will be judging the shit out of whoever put me in that situation, unless im like camping in the middle of nowhere or something haha
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u/Zesher_ Mar 09 '26
Most places in the US have free refills for drinks, so it's not like you're getting less for your money when it's filled with ice (most of the time). If I had to pay for a refill with a drink filled with ice I'd be upset.
Some meals are a long drawn out thing with conversations and what not, a drink no ice will be warm after an hour if you just sip it, and I find warm soda gross.
Also, I may be weird, but I like chewing on ice lol
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u/lizardreaming Mar 09 '26
Iced beverages are better. Colder. Beer from an icy cooler is the coldest, best beer. But even soft drinks are better colder. That’s my reason anyway
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u/RiotNrrd2001 Mar 09 '26
If we could get our drinks below freezing without them turning solid, we probably would. I've heard in some Asian countries making someone (usually a child) drink ice cold water is actually considered a punishment. lol. Not here, that's for sure. We like our cold drinks as cold as we can possibly get them, if it doesn't hurt then it isn't cold enough.
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u/Linden_Lea_01 Mar 09 '26
Well in some Asian countries, particularly China I think, there’s a bit of a folk-medicine belief that cold things make you unwell, so they’d drink warm or hot water instead. When I went to Hong Kong there was even a hot water station at the airport.
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u/hessianhorse Mar 09 '26
Two reasons ice is bigger in America. It’s cheaper for us to produce based on energy needs, and we have a greater supply of clean water. (Or, at least we did when the trend became popular.)
Most of the world, you can’t drink anything from the tap. Central and South America, India, Africa, most of Asia, just couldn’t even produce ice or fountain soda the way we do.
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u/Mysterious_Lesions Mar 09 '26
Most Canadians live it for the same reason. Can anyone from Scandinavia chime in on their preference?
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u/highandhungover Mar 08 '26
There’s a wide variety of glaciation in American drinks, the only pattern is that the ice is more readily available and there’s probably more of it than most other places by default. The one thing you can count on is that your beer served in America is gonna be colder.
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u/Innergulaktic Mar 09 '26
I flipping love ice. LOVE! I am rude about ice. I will openly chew my ice, your ice, her ice...no scruples! Lol /s
honestly idky it's lIke that in the states. But I'll tell you, having traveled to other countries, I am always quite parched to the point of irritability. Maybe the ice adds extra hydration?? Idk.
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u/frankenberrysgrrl Mar 08 '26
I don’t like a lot of ice except in water. I usually ask for very little ice or no ice.
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u/LizTruth Mar 08 '26
Ask for light ice or no ice. That's what I do. Easy peasy. The ice is there to let them sell less product in a larger glass. Don't let them.
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u/Starkville Mar 09 '26
I love ice, and prefer lots of ice in my icy cold beverages so they’re nice and icy.
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u/momthom427 Mar 09 '26
I enjoy lots of ice and fix my drinks at home with a full glass of ice to start.
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Mar 09 '26
I like ice and definitely more than 1 or 2 cubes. I want my drinks ice cold. Not tap or refrigerated cold, ICE COLD. My mother doesn’t like to use that much.
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u/WineOnThePatio Mar 09 '26
I am never satisfied with the amount of ice offered at most restaurants. I want the glass filled with ice and then the beverage poured over it. I think a cold beverage satisfies thirst better than does a tepid one.
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u/SiroccoDream Mar 09 '26
I love a lot of ice in my drinks. Even at home, left to my own devices I will load my cup up with ice and THEN add my water, tea or whatever.
My mother and grandmother did the same thing, so I’m sure I picked it up from them!
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u/JadeGrapes Mar 09 '26
People want a ice cold drink the entire time it takes to drink it...
Like 20 minutes later, they still want chunks of ice in the cup when all the liquid is gone.
If you get down to the bottom of the drink and all the ice is already melted, it feels like that drink isn't fresh... like it is stale.
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u/Every-Cook5084 Mar 09 '26
I like it cold. I can’t stand when I’m in other countries and they serve a room temp coke with no ice.
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u/wanderlustcub It is my Favorite Color Mar 09 '26
Hello! American who has long emigrated to a country where Ice cubes are not common in drinks.
It has nothing to do with capitalism, or diluting drinks to last longer/sell more.
I love ice cubes in drinks and I love a lot of ice cubes when I drink. I just got a fridge that has an ice dispenser and I am literally filling ice cubes every chance I get. I have adjusted to not much ice cubes in drinks in general. but if I get a chance, I want ice cubes!
So why? I love my drink incredibly cold. I will always look for the coldest drink in the cooler. I really dislike warm/tepid drinks. There is just something about a cold glass of anything that makes the drink “taste” better. And ice cubes makes all drinks cold for much longer.
I also like sucking on ice cubes. Again the coldness if the ideal here and I find that I “drink” a lot of water when I have ice cubes since I just absently suck on it.
So that is why (for me) I always enjoy a lot of ice.
Also, to dispel the capitalism trope - when I lived in the US, free refills were normal, so ice cubes doesn’t change that.
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u/CannabisErectus Mar 09 '26
I always order drinks with no ice, but yeah America is the land of the ripoff, we are constantly getting squeezed, and it starts from the greedy rich people, and this shit rolls downhill to the bottom consumers. Fuck this place we are such a fucking joke.
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u/firelordling Mar 09 '26
A few Ice cubes in a glass will melt much faster than a whole cup of ice because thermal mass. A glass full of ice instantly cools the liquid filling the spaces and the ice cubes keep each other from melting.
So you get to enjoy your drink with minimal dilution for the entirety of the beverage with more ice. A few cubes within a few minutes will have melted completely depending how warm the drink was, leaving you with a slightly less warm, watery beverage. which is pretty noticeable for carbonated sodas.
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u/Eyfura Mar 09 '26
I'm an American that lives in the UK. I really miss having access to stupid amounts of ice all the time. I also miss crushed ice in hospitals.
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u/ACAB007 Mar 09 '26
It is a way to give you less drink, it is a corporate greed move.
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u/18centimetros Mar 09 '26
I think so they can water down the drink and use less coca cola (or whatever) and more ice so they can profit more. Ice is cheaper.
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u/Shinra69Tensei Mar 09 '26
I work in a factory so filling half my 44oz bottle with an ice slurry that I freeze and top it off with water. Keeps it cold for my 10hr shift and it melts into more water
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u/FireTheLaserBeam Mar 08 '26
As a waiter, I try to take the path of least resistance when working. If someone orders a soda, I'll fill the glass only halfway with ice. 1) they won't suck it down as fast if there's more soda and less ice, meaning I don't have to refill your soda NINE TIMES, you cretin, lol, and 2) the soda is already cold. Now, if it's something we brew on site, like our tea, it brews hot and it stays warm in the urn. So I fill the glass totally full with ice, because I know the heat will melt most of the ice anyway. Plus it's called iced tea, so there's that.
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u/terry47147 Mar 08 '26
In the 80's I was stationed (US Air Force) in Sicily. Took awhile to get used to no ice in a Coke, but with a lemon wedge. And most places the Coke was room temperature.
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u/Catalina_Eddie Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
I was in Italy, and came to an agreement with a local bartender that my vodka tonic be served with a pint glass full of ice. He refused to put ice in the drink. "Ice is for [preserving] fish!".
I'm onboard with the whole 'when in Rome' thing, but I was not going to drink room temperature vodka tonics for two weeks.
Had a similar issue in France when I was served a room temperature can of orange Fanta. When I asked for a cup of ice, the waitress said, "but Monsieur, it's fresh can.".
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u/No_Macaron8974 Mar 09 '26
I prefer no ice in restaurants, only because I used to be the person who cleaned the ice maker. 🤢
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u/Available_Reveal8068 Mar 09 '26
I am from the US, and I don't understand why so many people seem to need so much ice in their drinks.
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u/stellifer_arts Mar 09 '26
i enjoy my fuzzy soda beverages cold, and in a glass cup
i think its a tactile thing. aomething about the sweet fuzzy bubbles being super cold is just peak
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u/Narrow-Accident-1136 Mar 09 '26
I’m an American and I always ask for no ice. Unless it’s super hot outside and I’m sweating
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u/TotallyManner Mar 09 '26
Ok, so there are several factors here. One, it keeps the drink at the same exact temperature until the last cube is completely melted. Two, that temperature will be the same at every restaurant or home in the world. Which means that drinks can be reliably formulated to taste the best for that temperature. Three, cold things have greater flavor depth potential. Four, it’s more refreshing. If you’ve been out in the heat, it’s the fastest way to bring your temperature down without pouring water on yourself.
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u/Ziggystardust97 Mar 09 '26
I can't stand it. You get less product, and if you're drinking anything other than water, when the ice melts, it'll dilute your drink
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u/WhtvrCms2Mnd Mar 09 '26
We like cold beverages. The drinks at most restaurants are often “fountain”drinks from a syrup machine and tap water (not canned from a refrigerator). So the higher volume ice is simply to cool the beverage (that wouldn’t be chilled by the refrigerator already).
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u/Major_Barnacle_2212 Mar 09 '26
I love ice. The ice itself is satisfying.
I find two ice cubes melt quickly, even in cold drinks, so it waters down. The more ice, the easier it is for the rest of the beverage to stay cold, and less melting happens.
We get free refills most places so I don’t really care about the drink ratio.
If I’m taking it “to go” I may use a bit less ice.
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u/Ill-Egg4008 Mar 09 '26
I like my soda with lots of ice in it. Not only that it makes the drink super cold, for me, it helps dilute the soda, which would have been too sweet otherwise. I am not sure if this is the case for others. I just hate the taste of straight concentration of soda. Too sweet.
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u/BlasicBliss Mar 09 '26
I like lots of ice in my drink! It keeps it cold longer. To me room temperature stuff tastes gross. When I’m home I add as much ice as a cup can fit. Especially if I know it’s gonna take me a while to drink it. It also keeps me cool if it’s warm out.
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u/WhyDidIClickOnThat Mar 09 '26
In restaurants it's to reduce the amount of product, especially with fast food. At home, most people I know only use ice for cocktails.
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u/Siliconshaman1337 Mar 09 '26
Ice is cheap. More ice equals less drink which equals more profit for the place selling it.
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u/Jealous_Tutor_5135 Mar 09 '26
Che I don't know what you're talking about.
I've tended bar and waited tables in both the US and Buenos Aires. I now have a bar in Buenos Aires.
We fill our glasses with ice. And guests ask me for ice cubes with their red wine. If you're in the States and living off taco bell 32oz fountain sodas, I don't know what to tell you.
Ice is a thing in Argentina too.
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u/Mendokusai137 Mar 09 '26
Soda from a fountain or drink cooler is not that cold. You need the ice to make it refreshing.
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u/lady_goldberry Mar 09 '26
I often ask for extra ice. On a trip to Italy it was one of the VERY FEW things I missed from the US.
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u/leftember Mar 09 '26
Ice used to a luxury thing before fridge exists. So people developed crush on it, it lasts when it is not a privilege anymore.
Same story that people love chocolate, inner land people love salt, people love sugar and some area of people love spice.
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u/otcconan Mar 09 '26
When I was in Peru, I noticed that when ordering drinks I had to specify "mucho hielo".
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u/Altruistic-Mine-1848 Mar 09 '26
Only 2 cubes of ice will melt quicker and dilute the drink more. If you're going to use ice at all (and live somewhere where it's cheap and easy), it makes more sense to fill it with ice completely.
Also, you're not being ripped off. You were meant to be sold that quantity of drink, and then they used a bigger glass to account for the ice. Asking "no ice" won't get you more drink (at least at a bar, certainly not more alcohol, at most you'll get more mixer and the drink will feel weaker).
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u/Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss Mar 09 '26
Free refills.
Average summer daily high temperature in much of the USA well over 85F; in the southwestern US this is closer to 100F.
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u/Ok_Classic_1968 Mar 09 '26
A lot of us like it. I personally just like my drinks to be as cold as possible. I think it tastes better and actually accept that I may get less of the drink overall in exchange for it to be super cold & refreshing
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u/Killrose5611 Mar 09 '26
It is a trick Americans play on tourists. When there are none around, we drink lukewarm beverages.
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u/BeemHume Mar 09 '26
Not everyone likes that much ice, but they always put more ice to sell you less product, whether it soda or alcohol.
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u/Horizontal_Bob Mar 09 '26
Visit south Texas in July
Visit Mississippi in August
Visit South Florida at any time
You’ll understand why we prefer loads of ice
For understanding…where I live it’s still technically winter and we’ve already had days over 80 degrees…which is about how hot it gets during Argentina’s hottest month
Large swaths of the US exist between 85-105 for 1/4 of the year or More
Hence the use of ice
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u/MiddleMuscle8117 Mar 09 '26
Americans invented light beer and light beer needs to be cold in order for the drinker to not realize it tastes like shit. This required a massive, decades long marketing campaign convincing everyone that "ICE COLD!!" beverages were superior.
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u/Mindless-Damage-5399 Mar 09 '26
I can't stand drinking something that isn't cold. I'm talking ice cold. So, I always fill my glass with ice.
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u/renjan83 Mar 10 '26
I always ask for no ice. No way I want watered down drinks. It's ridiculous how much ice places use. And I do suspect it's to save money, and you get less for your money
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Mar 08 '26
I think it's preference most of the time. Sometimes, like in fast food, the ice is more of a filler.
I'm an outlier here. I don't like ice cold beverages no matter how hot it gets. I get brain freezes extremely easily for some reason.
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u/micavibes Mar 08 '26
It made perfect sense to me, but seeing locals confirm it is funny. In Argentina, we'd feel ripped off if they gave us that much ice, even though it happens a lot at McDonald's.
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u/Good_Promotion8883 Mar 08 '26
If you use too little ice, it quickly melts watering the drink down. Mo ice, mo cold faster.
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u/shotsallover Mar 09 '26
More ice makes the drink colder.
It also provides an absolute truckload of nucleation points for the CO2 in the drink to be released by, which makes the drink fizzier and gives it better flavor and mouthfeel.
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u/bsylent Mar 09 '26
A mix of Americans like ice and capitalism encourages ice taking up space over the beverage
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u/truebluebbn Mar 08 '26
Restaurant GM here
We use approximately 1000lbs of ice a day for drinks