Attendees to the grand opening of the first IceBar in the U.S. on October 1 were treated to an expedition to the Arctic Circle without leaving Orlando. Upon arrival they were greeted by IceBar Orlando staff members who provided them with the temperature-appropriate capes and gloves to stay warm during their 30-minute experience into the tundra.
After suiting up, guests made their way through the Chill Lounge, a 4,000-square-foot ultra-cool bar featuring live entertainment. Beyond the intricate ice sculptures, a DJ spinning venue-appropriate tunes such as "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice and Britney Spear's "Break the Ice" set the mood for dancers sporting Nordic-inspired costumes in glass cases.
The 1,375-square-foot ice bar features 50 tons of frozen water that has been carved, sculpted, and transformed into a crystal palace by Ice Magic. Everything from the walls, tables, barstools, sofas, sculptures, and especially the vodka-wielding bar is made entirely from the purest ice.
Guests in the ice bar were kept warm with Grey Goose vodka shots and cocktails served straight up in a cup made of solid ice.
"There's no need to order your vodka on the rocks," says Patz Turner, co-owner of IceBar, "when you can have your vodka in the rocks."
The space's humidity is specially regulated though to ensure warm lips don't get stuck to cocktail's icy goblets.