Ice in Drinks?

Hello thefiegs -

You'll notice plenty of changes in England since your last visit. You might even find the odd bar where you get a glass full of ice with your Coke. But reassuringly, some things haven’t changed that much and two lumps is still seen as something of an extravagance where ice is concerned!

Otherwise, have a great trip!

Ian

Yes, you can get ice - even a lot of ice - in a drink in the UK. Happened to me on a pub walk around Chelsea one evening a few years go. A very enjoyable London Walks outing. We stopped into I think three or four pubs during the evening. I wasn't drinking alcohol so ordered fruit juice. The first pub "generously" stuffed my glass with so much ice, there was barely enough liquid in the glass for a swallow. As that's about the worst thing that's ever happened to me in London, I just grinned to myself and noted it as a lesson learned for my order at the next pub. :-)

Why would you want so much ice in a glass so that you can’t fit much actual drink in there, like I have been served in the States? When the ice melts it waters your drink down so much, it becomes tasteless. You can get as many ice cubes as you want if you ask, but we prefer just one or two, which is the standard serving. Most drinks are served already chilled, so you shouldn’t need many ice cubes.

Jennifer, I certainly didn’t want a glass so full of ice that there was little room for the drink, nor did I ask for that. My take was that the pub was saving money by serving me a tiny bit of juice in a tall glass of ice. At the next pub I ordered more carefully, as in, just a bit of ice. :-)

Never understood Americans fascination with ice, stayed at at motel in Rochester Mnn in the early 90's, came in from outside where the temperature was 20F and ordered a beer at the bar, it was served in a frozen glass (jug) that had been kept in a "glass freezer", I thought this is madness!!!

I am from Georgia home of Coke. If you live here, you want ice, most of the year. It's the heat. Years ago, when I was a kid in the 50s, few places had AC. Drinking a cold Coke with ice was mandatory.

Having lived in Germany for four years and traveled widely, I understand why Europeans don't usually want ice with an already cold drink. Most of the year in Germany it is NOT hot.

We learned to drink our water and soft drinks (don't drink soda now since it is not healthy) without ice.
Still, when we are home and want a glass of water, we drink the tap water (we have a filter for our water in our house) and usually put ice in the water, especially after being out in 40 degree C weather.

It’s my own experience over the decades that the rise of ice, particularly crushed ice, accompanied the growth of soft drinks and national fast food chains. A lot of us became conditioned to the marketing term “ice cold” and got used to a cup of ice with the actual drink added to top it off.

For the last 20 years or so, I’ve requested “no ice” and enjoy the larger serving of the undiluted beverage, which is usually plenty cold as is...although I usually get a stare from the wait staff.

It was on my first trip to the UK, years ago, when I discovered that “one lump or two?” referred to ice cubes.

I wonder if this summer has started to change European attitudes about ice in drinks?

You’re heading to Ireland, too, and we were there last September. Not the hottest time of year, but ice was readily served, at places with Irish fare and also at a great Indian restaurant in Trim.

You didn’t mention Scotland, but if you get up there in Britain, for the novelty if for nothing else, try a a pop called Irn Bru . . . like “Iron Brew,” but it’s really soda that’s florescent orange and tastes vaguely like bubblegum. And ice, just ask.

Irn Bru...........It's made from girders you know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4PxuFQCDis

In pubs most Coke/Pepsi is served from a 'hose' attached to a large tank of the drink which is cooled. Pretty much all of the time you're asked if you want ice, if so then two to three cubes are usually provided. This is sufficient, the drink is cool anyway, the ice chills it further but not so much that you can't taste it or that there's so much ice to drink ratio that you're actually drinking a very small and diluted drink. Other bottles of soft drinks are refrigerated, you'll see them behind the bar so they're already cool enough to drink, I see no reason why you'd want to add ice, even in the middle of a heatwave a cold drink will slake your thirst just as well as one crammed full of ice, in fact even more so because the flow of liquid into your mouth isn't impeded by a ton of ice cubes blocking your lips.

From my fast food days, I can tell you that soft drinks dispensers in the US are supposed to be calibrated and adjusted for the ratio of syrup to carbonated water, to account for being served (and diluted) with ice. That doesn't mean its done or done correctly.

I think the answer for the OP is not to expect a US-quantity of ice, but you might get it if you ask for more. Sometimes, (2017 visit to UK) we had servers recognize we were Americans and assume we wanted the drinks American-style.

Thanks for all your help. We're looking forward to our visit and to cold drinks when we dine.

Harley, your experience might have been different if you hadn’t visited Rochester during record breaking heat wave 😊

Overall, I think the UK is moving toward the drink temperatures preferred by us in the US. Most pubs I visit proudly display their "Super Cold" taps of mostly American beers claiming they are as close to freezing as possible (which although another topic, is pretty much the only temperature you should drink US beers to hide their lack of taste). I have no problems getting a Coke or other soft drink in a fast food place with more than enough ice. Even bottled water is sold icy cold in snack shops and grocers. If I remember right, I even saw bagged ice for sale at one of the shops around St. Pancras station my last visit (right before the heat waves started this summer). There are a few restaurants which give only 2 or 3 pieces of ice in drinks still. They are always happy to provide more if asked.

The other thing is that in the US, most drinks in restaurants (non alcohol only and excluding milk and fruit juices) are served with unlimited refills where in Europe and the UK you pay individually for each glass you get. So if you can drink all you want for one charge, does it really matter if the glass is mostly ice? If I was paying $3.00 a glass for drinks in the US without refills and I got a glass of mostly ice, I would not be happy. Same in the UK.

Interesting thing about ice in drinks. Starbucks in the US got sued because their iced teas had "too much ice" according to one customer. Drinks served in the winter with ice appeared to have more ice than those severed in the summer. So now Starbucks (at least the ones near me) puts about half the ice in their teas when the temperature is below 45 Fahrenheit. Works OK except when you get a freshly brewed batch of tea that has not cooled off yet so all the ice in the glass melts leaving you with a luke warm drink.

"Harley, your experience might have been different if you hadn’t visited Rochester during record breaking heat wave 😊"

It would have been understandable in a heat wave but a frozen jug when it's snowing outside?.........No.

It’s really not hard to get ice in your cokes, or whatever you’re drinking. When you order just ask for ice at the same time, so simple.

On a recent trip to Mexico. I was asking for drinks without ice. You just have to ask for more if you want ice.