Umami Mart Gift Guide

One of the greatest pleasures in life is an ice-cold beverage; whether it's a cocktail, iced coffee, or highball, the simple principle of refreshment staves off the beast in us and can make living in this world just a little bit sweeter. By that same token, we all know the bitter disappointment that comes when the ice in your drink doesn't stand up to the rigors of casual drinking. Watery highball? Thanks, but no thanks.

Use Kuramoto's Sphere Ice for a served-down cocktail like an Old Fashioned or for your favorite shochu, spirit, or genshu sake on the rocks. We have battle-tested these ice spheres under rigorous conditions, and can confirm one of these hefty balls of ice will suffice for an entire evening's worth of rocks drinks - 3 to 4 hours at least (at 65ºF Bay Area room temp).

We found this ice fits nicely in the Slash Old Fashioned Glass with room for a 3 oz. pour on top . Check out this quick list of some of our favorite on-the-rocks picks as well.  

Please note: due to the nature of ice, we are only offering this as a local pickup or in-store option so we can keep it frozen until you bring it home! 

Established in 1923 in Kanazawa City, family-owned Kuramoto Ice makes exquisitely firm, clear, and slow-melting ice by slowly freezing drinking water at 14ºF and agitating it over the course of 48 hours to remove bubbles and other imperfections as it freezes. You can find Kuramoto Ice in stellar shaved ice and cocktail bars around California and Vegas, and you can pick your own up here at Umami Mart.

Features:

  • Ingredients: Water
  • Packing: Resealable plastic bag
  • Contains 8 x 2.5" 156ml ice spheres
  • Made in Kanazawa, Japan by Kuramoto Ice 

Photos courtesy of Kuramoto Ice