How are clear ice balls made?

I did some research to see what the keywords were, and to understand the 2 technologies on the market.

Ice Ball Press

https://shop.themacallan.com/ice-ball-maker  is a copper mold, turns square cube into a ball, takes about a minute. $1,000. I read that MacCallan sent 100 of these to top bars around the world to increase sales in high-end whiskey.

www.Drinksology.com used to make one for $1,000, but they don’t have it on their website anymore.

https://www.cirrusproducts.com/ makes one for $499.

http://www.taisin-ss.co.jp/icemold/english/ Taisin makes one, $700-850.

https://www.amazon.com/Inch-Spherical-Ice-Maker-Machine/dp/B00GRGF6W8 sold by Brookstone on Amazon for $399.

www.icebirgpress.com This starts at $179 for a 2.5” ball, and they have a new widget to make clear ice cylinders to load in the press.

I watched a video from a bartender who planned to roll one of these out, he said making clear ice cylinders in quantity as inputs to his ice ball press was his next project. He planned to offer clear ice balls on $25+ whiskeys as a cool add-on for show. I couldn’t find anyone explaining how they were pre-making clear ice for this project.

However, I did see a couple other YouTube videos where people started with large square ice cube trays, put a hole in the bottom, suspended them inside a small cooler full of water in the freezer, and after 24 hours the ice cubes were clear as the air is forced out of the hole in the bottom.

Silicone Molds

https://www.wintersmiths.com/  1-4 silicone ice ball molds plus holder, $65-120. These are high-end.

Top rated silicone ice ball mold on Amazon $9.25

https://www.amazon.com/Chillz-Ice-Ball-Maker-Mold/dp/B00KI7QZ5Y/ref=pd_sim_79_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=748B0D9KKX3KM37DHDKN

Tovolo also gets top ratings.

https://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Sphere-Ice-Molds-Set/dp/B007ACTN54/ref=pd_sbs_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C3RWRQS0F6JQ2B86YE5G

The guys who make clear balls from the silicone molds fill them, turn them upside down in a glass of water, and freeze everything. Supposedly as the ice expands inside the mold it forces the air out the hole in the bottom. However, this is part of the research for creating crystal clear ice, not ice balls.

Results

So in general, there seem to be 2 solutions for making clear ice balls:

1. Create clear ice cubes, then press them into balls.
2. Mold bubble-free water into ice balls.

What I haven't seen next is a 1-step process. I'm still searching.

I love drinking 2 fingers of a great single malt scotch. But I love it even more if it has a clear ice ball in the rocks glass.

Sounds simple, right?

It turns out that creating a perfectly clear ice ball isn't as simple as I thought. That's why I've decided to go on a mission: to create a simple solution for creating a crystal clear ice ball at home for my favorite drink.

This blog is intended to be a record of my online search for creating clear ice balls. I may not be successful, but it's a search for a problem that I want to solve. Every problem has a solution, and over the next few months this is the one I've decided to explore.