It all began when I was traveling for business in Tokyo. I was out exploring near the Ebisu neighborhood when I stumbled upon a great little tavern called Bar Martha. Bar Martha had a nice selection of scotch, rye, and bourbon and a great atmosphere. I ordered a bourbon on the rocks that was delivered with a perfectly clear sphere of ice. In addition to the benefits of perfectly clear ice keeping my drink colder, longer, and with limited dilution, I was struck by how much better my drink looked. I knew I had to get one when I was back home.

 

Sadly, after returning home and searching online I found out that the device that Bar Martha used to create their clear ice cost $1,000! Not to mention you need to already have clear ice blocks on hand to use it! This wasn’t going to work. The cost plus the level of effort were too extreme for me. So, I found a few other solutions on the market, such as silicone molds, that could form ice balls for a fraction of the cost, but without the clarity. The ice these products made were filled with air bubbles and impurities and looked “cloudy” in my drink. I knew that there had to be a better way, so we set out to invent a solution.

 

Wintersmiths® was founded by brothers Chris & Pat Little in 2013. The Ice Baller, Ice Baller Double, Ice Chest and Phantom projects were all developed in-house leveraging our patented technology. We went through a number of technical drawings, prototypes, and testing (including the scotch and bourbon kind) to design what we hope will be your favorite bar tools. The Ice Baller, Ice Chest, and Phantom Ice Makers initially launched on Kickstarter and were successfully crowdfunded (huge thanks to our awesome backers!). They are all now available for sale on our website. We truly hope you enjoy the Ice Baller, Ice Baller Double, Ice Chest, Phantom & Phantom Mini – The easiest ways to make crystal clear ice balls, cubes and other shapes from any water source in your home freezer.