Whydoes any of this matter?
Therehave been studiesperformed into why we enjoy cold drinks so much and it’s to do withhow our oral receptors react more positively to colder stimuli thanour external receptors do: Internal = positive response, External =negative response. It revolves around the factor that colder drinksquench our thirst more than warm drinks (or at least they areperceived to), which results in a pleasureful reaction.
Peoplehave evolved to enjoy colder drinks. We derive more pleasure from acold drink than we do a warm one. This doesn’t mean that as aspecies we don’t enjoy warm drinks (because coffee is amazing), itmeans we enjoy cold drinks more. Ice helps us create those colddrinks.
Sowhy do bartenders use SO MUCH ice?
Thisprobably has more to do with the perception that customers feel theyare being shortchanged in some way more than it reflects the amountof ice a bartender actually uses e.g more ice means less mixer (andfor some reason people seem to think less spirit).
Themore ice you have, the quicker you chill your drink, the quicker youchill your drink, the slower the dilution will be. This should not beconfused as “more ice means less dilution” because if you leaveyour drink for half an hour, you’ll have a big old glass of water.More ice means faster chilling followed by slower dilution. - Youget a cold drink at its “peak” dilution and temperature quickerthan if half the ice had been put into your glass.
Largerice cubes melt slower than smaller ice cubes because they have lesssurface to area ratio , which is why you won’t see your vodka andsoda served over a glass of crushed ice (if you do see this, we don’tknow why that’s happened).
Bartendersuse “so much” ice in your drink, because it’s better for yourdrink and better for you (in terms of enjoyment and taste). If youdon’t want ice in your drink then you can always ask for no ice.Please remember, however, that less ice will always mean more mixer,not more liquor. You’re not being scammed. Ice is important. Sorry.
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