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Ice crusher / Lewis bag

A tool or canvas bag used to crush ice into fine pieces for julep-style drinks.

What it's for: Producing fine crushed ice for julep-style drinks.

Don't have one?

Wrap ice cubes in a clean tea towel and crush gently with a rolling pin.

The texture of crushed ice meaningfully affects dilution and mouthfeel in julep-style drinks.

Buying guidance

A canvas Lewis bag holds up longer than thin plastic bags and crushes more evenly.

Cocktails that use this

Aged rum, orange curaçao, orgeat and lime, finished with a dark rum float — tiki's most argued-over classic.

Caipirinha

Cachaça muddled with lime and sugar over crushed ice — Brazil's national drink in its rawest form.

Bourbon, mint and crushed ice, packed into a frosted cup — the classic Kentucky sipper.

Bramble

Gin and lemon over crushed ice, drizzled with blackberry liqueur — a modern British classic.

Three rums, lime, spiced syrups and a rinse of absinthe — a strong, complex tiki classic.

Chi-Chi

Vodka, pineapple juice and coconut cream, blended with ice — a lighter-tasting, vodka-based cousin of the Piña Colada.

Dark rum, pineapple, orange and cream of coconut, shaken over crushed ice with fresh nutmeg — tiki's other tropical classic.

Dark rum and Campari with pineapple, lime and sugar — a bitter, tropical modern classic.