ICEBAR Orlando, the coolest lounge in Central Florida, is on a mission to make this summer epic with its beat-the-heat concoctions.
I enjoyed chilling out at the largest, permanent ice bar in the world, featuring more than 70 tons of hand-carved ice, while sampling cool cocktails and tasty treats during a media preview event on Thursday night.
The bold-to-be-cold establishment features an ice bar and the Fire Lounge. It’s kind of like having Heat and Snow Miser from the animated show, “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” under one roof but in this case, both bars play well together and get along beautifully.
ICEBAR Orlando is joining in the fun by celebrating the opening of Epic Universe with its neighbor, the Universal Orlando Resort, when the new theme park opens on Thursday, May 22 and throughout the summer.
“ICEBAR Orlando is always cold and fun and a great escape from the heat,” said owner Thom Kerr. “Our drinks are fairly unique and some have a dry-ice-type-of-experience. The ice bar also has a tiki theme, which is the perfect place to hang this summer.”
The savory soirée included five new specialty drinks in the Fire Lounge, which are the Cosmic Chill, Dragon Fury, Ministry Mule, Peach Royale Martini and Vampire’s Kiss.
Since I was driving, I sampled some but not all the delicious drinks. The Cosmic Chill and Dragon Fury are fruity and fabulous and Ministry Mule is the ICEBAR Orlando’s terrific take on the Moscow Mule.
The most fun one in the bunch is the Peach Royale Martini because its presentation includes a smoke bubble on top. After the bubble pops, smoke billows from the glass.
There are four other mystical martinis with the smoke-bubble effect on the menu, which include the Orange Drop, Very Berry Cosmo, Passion Fruit Fizz and Malibu Dream.
I’m a rum girl who loves sweet, tropical cocktails so I tried the Passion Fruit Fizz. The incredible ingredients include Bacardi rum, passionfruit puree, pineapple juice, triple sec, orange bitters and sour mix. The marvelous mixture was very yummy!
The Arctic meets tropical in the ice bar this summer! The polar paradise is decked out with ice-carved tikis and a tiki-themed throne and colorful surfboards.
The 1,375-square-foot, air-locked ice bar features three new custom cocktails, which are the Banana Barrel, Obliviate Elixir and Galaxy Dream.
I ordered the Banana Barrel, which is a remarkable rum drink. The ingredients include Cruzan banana rum, RumChata and vanilla mix.
Bottoms up! The 18-degree bar also serves The Epic Shotski to four patrons on a skiboard. The shots include raspberry vodka, mango, pineapple, lemon lime soda and grenadine. I sampled the smooth, specialty shot and I’m happy to report it’s worth the ski trip!
I also paired some of my shaken-and-poured drinks with amazing appetizers and delectable dishes, including the Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken Flatbread, Cheesy Moon Bacon Sliders, shrimp skewers and steak tacos. I didn’t have a chance to try the Pizza Logs but other media guests loved them!
Another way to get relief from the sizzling temps is with gourmet, liquor-infused ice cream. The small but mighty and packaged, boozy dessert comes in five flavors, which are the Espresso Martini, Strawberries and Rosé, The Old Fashioned, The Highland and Truffle and Coco Loco.
Strawberry is my favorite ice cream flavor so I selected the sensational Strawberries and Rosé champagne combination. This frozen delight is a sorbet and the healthiest option in the bunch. The bouquet of ingredients also include Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé bubbly and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, which is a French liqueur made with hand-picked, fresh elderflowers and no artificial flavors.
Experience these new bites and booze blends at ICEBAR Orlando now through Monday, Sept. 1. The summertime festivities will include a weekly challenge with giveaways, patio games and live, ice-carving performances. There will also be special parties all summer long, beginning Memorial Day weekend.
All guests who present an Epic Universe ticket at the front door will receive complimentary admission into ICEBAR Orlando Sunday through Thursday and half-off entry ($10) on Friday and Saturday.
The ice bar excursion includes a thermal coat, gloves and complimentary photo with a specialty, digital-photo frame. Admission is $15 in advance online and $21 at the door.
Besides the munchy menu and innovative cocktails, the Fire Lounge also includes DJs spinning the beats and dancing and doesn’t charge a cover. Bottle and VIP services are available for an elevated experience or special occasion.
Happy hour in the Fire Lounge occurs Sunday through Thursday from 5-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5-7 p.m.
ICEBAR Orlando is located in the heart of the tourism corridor at 8967 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819.
The ice bar and Fire Lounge are open Monday through Wednesday from 5 p.m.-midnight; Sunday and Thursday from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Ages 8-20 can experience ICEBAR Orlando from 5-9 p.m. and 21 or older close the joint after 9 p.m.
Learn more about ICEBAR Orlando’s history and other tremendous tidbits in my Savvy Scribe blog from February 2020.
Savvy Scribe's Blog 