Why spend time freezing water when you can use the purest form of rock again and again? Swedish base rock is incredibly pure, which isn't always the case for tap water, and the rocks go by many names, including Nordic Rocks, Swedish Ice Cubes, and Viking Ice Cubes. Apparently after putting them in a freezer for an hour, they will cool your drink slowly, so there's no need for extra ice cubes. Has anyone ever used these?
These rock cubes have been around for quite some time adorning Scandinavian drinks. We couldn't find much information about Swedish base rock, but all of the Swedes we know said it was common knowledge, and they call it "pollution free" because the rock formed prior to the industrial age in an area where there are only a few inhabitants.
Now these rocks are slowly catching on as a global phenomena. By replacing your normal ice cubes with these rock cubes, you can save both water and energy. A typical ice cube tray uses 5 teaspoons of water to create 16 ice cubes.
They come in sets of 10 with their own leather storage pouch to keep them clean, cool, and ready to use. You can find these Swedish Base Rock’s online at Mocha, a husband-wife business based in the UK, who specialize in unique and modern gifts.
What do you think? Good idea?
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Rocks kept in the freezer will probably cool your drink just as well as ice cubes. You'd just have to wait a minute longer than with regular ice cubes - but on the bright side, it wouldn't water down the drink.
The emphasis on purity is silly though - pure *what?* You can get pure copper but you wouldn't want to put it in all your drinks! And unless you live next to a volcano, the vast, vast majority of rock you encounter was formed prior to the industrial revolution. Nice rocks not full of dangerous minerals are key, of course, but it's going to be due to the type of rock, no silliness like being formed before or after the industrial age.
As for traveling in Europe for an American - the hard part isn't trying to find a cold drink. The hard part is swallowing the unbelievably high drink prices. Yikes. First thing I always do after a long trip is go to a restaurant at home where I can get a huge nearly liter-size cup of icy, free tap water.
I recently purchased Whiskey Stones like these: http://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Whiskey-Stones-Set/dp/B002GZX2DE
They are made from Vermont soapstone. The only time I've used them, they didn't cool it down enough for me, but maybe I was impatient. I think they would be great for straight whiskey.
What? No jokes yet about now being able to literally order a scotch on the rocks? ;)
Interesting concept!
They're very pretty, but is this one of those things where it starts sustainable, then turns into a huge unsustainable industry?
I feel like I would chip a tooth. Or a glass.
I bought the Whiskey Stones for my boyfriend's father at Christmas...but I haven't followed up to see if he likes them. I also haven't heard any horror stories of teeth breaking...so I'm calling it good.
I'm sure that these rocks are neat-o but the beauty of ice cubes is you don't have to have them shipped across the world to enjoy them. Which I feel makes them more environmentally friendly than Swedish rocks in my Canadian drink.
These will need to be washed.....there goes the water savings; down the drain.
I second with tasterspoon about possible damage to teeth & glasswear. After a few drinks one might even be absent mindedly inclined to chew on thier "ice" too...or am I the only person who would be silly enough to forget they had rocks in thier glass?
I'd give these a try! I wouldn't expect them to work as well as ice though.
And for those spoiled idiots griping about Europe in a ridiculously generalizing manner, I'd rather buy a drink that was already cold and get a full drink than a glass half filled with crushed ice and a half amount of beverage. And I grew up in the UK and I can tell you that free refills do happen in a lot of places there, just as there are lots of places here in the U.S. that do not offer them.