Highball Freeze Cooling Cups

Freeze Cooling Cups from HIGHBALL are drinkware, not a drink, and the idea behind them is simple: you chill the cup instead of diluting the drink. Cups in this category usually have a double wall with a sealed cooling layer inside. You keep them in the freezer until needed, then pour straight into the frozen cup. Check the packaging for the exact capacity, material and care instructions, since those details aren't listed here. The main benefit is for drinks that normally depend on ice. A highball, which is the style the HIGHBALL name points to, is a spirit lengthened with soda or tonic, and it tastes best cold and fizzy. Ice cools it but melts, which thins the drink and flattens the carbonation as it goes. A pre-frozen cup lets you use less ice or none at all, so the last sip stays closer to the first. Expect this to suit whisky and soda, gin and tonic, vodka soda and rum and cola. It also works for beer, hard seltzer, cider, iced coffee and soft drinks. For best results, freeze the cup for several hours before use and pour a drink that is already cold. Mixers and spirits kept in the fridge give the cup less work to do. Pour carbonated mixers gently down the inside wall to keep the bubbles. A very cold wall can pull the drink toward a slushy texture, which suits lagers and spritzes but is less welcome in a spirit-forward serve. Wine and neat spirits are better in their usual glasses, because tasting notes can close up when they get too cold. Handle the cup by the rim or the base where you can, and dry it before returning it to the freezer so it doesn't pick up frost. Most cups of this type are best washed by hand, but follow the maker's instructions on dishwasher use. A frozen cup will also sweat as it warms up, so a coaster is worth having on a wooden table.