This summer, the buzziest cocktail trend is logos inside the glass. For evidence, look no further than the recent New York Times story that covered the concept in the consumer space: bars around the city.
The trend extends to the event market too, with Southern California-based Ice Bulb being among the first to offer branded ice cubes of all sorts. Continuing its evolution within the so-called “luxury cube market,” according to its principal Marc Entin, the company offers ice that can be molded and branded to suit any corporate logo, theme, or marketing message. In addition to the branding effect, the food-grade ice comes in shapes meant to maximize cooling and minimize dilution. No matter its specifics, the entire cube is edible as the logo is done in snow and ice.
The company has been tinkering with perfecting its logo offerings for a while now, and Ice Bulb can now create logos within its sports line—in shapes like footballs, basketballs, and hockey pucks. (A baseball shape is in development.)
“This isn’t just a cosmetic thing in the glass but a very functional and [significant] part of the ingredients in a fine drink,” Entin says. “The cocktail industry has changed so much over the last 36 months—they are going to a much more luxurious cube."
And now events are doing the same. “The appeal to this is not only the better-quality ice for the drinks, but now the corporate market can put their logo in every water, soda, and cocktail [at the event]."
