Gift Guide, Day Eight

 Spherical Ice Cubes

Those big, beautiful ice cubes you see at cocktail bars aren’t just for show. They melt slowly, which means they don’t dilute your drink.

Many bars and restaurants actually chip cubes off of a large block of ice (or even an iceberg), which is not exactly ideal for the home kitchen (unless you’ve got a ton of space and a love of chiseling). Spherical ice cube trays are an excellent  alternative. A set of two is $16, and all you have to do is fill the trays with water to get perfect little globes of ice.

But if you’re looking to splurge on a serious entertainer you might want something a little splashier.  I kind of love this gorgeous professional ice ball mold, which churns out 30-40 ice cubes per hour.  It's $213 - but it assures many hours of drinking pleasure.