Drink aficionados have to agree, ice is a little more than a cold block of frozen water you put in your drink. It’s an accessory to your aged whiskey or classic cocktail, and bars in Washington DC are starting to experiment with adding handcrafted ice cubes to the menu. Boutique ice company Favourite Ice has begun supplying their artisanal ice to upscale watering holes like Second State who are now offering the ice cube to their patrons for an additional $1 per drink. "It's worth it," bar manager Phil Clark told Washington City Paper. "When it goes into a cocktail, it's crystal clear. It's purified water, so there's no minerally taste."

Another local favorite, Rye Bar, has started testing to find the best bottled water to create the perfect ice cube in-house. Both DC bars are serving unclouded ice, free of bubbles, cracks and designed to be crystal clear. And with one large spherical cube your whiskey will be chilled, less watered down and will look pretty damn cool. While it seems only a few bars in the area are serving artisanal ice, it’s only a matter of time before other restaurants jump onboard in an attempt to give patrons the best drinks in town.