This Is Why Americans Love Ice in Their Drinks and the British Don’t
Updated: Feb. 24, 2023
You won't typically find a glass of water with ice on the other side of the pond.
Have you ever noticed how Americans fill up their entire glass with ice and then pour their beverage in, but Europeans take their drinks at room temperature? In the US, we’ve created fridges that give you cold ice at the press of a button, but in Britain, they typically serve their tap water warm. Something else that the British do differently—name their food. Here are some foods that are called something else in the UK.
This tradition— if that’s what you want to call it—dates back to the 19th century. During that time, it was already commonplace for most American homes to have an icebox. Ice would be harvested in northern America or Canada and shipped across the Atlantic and sold at a high price in British department stores. Check out these classic British foods explained to Americans.
Putting ice in your drink started to become somewhat of a fashion trend for the wealthy in Britain. Some would put a few cubes in their champagne and sip on their chilled drinks at high-class parties. But, like with any fashion trend, it eventually faded, mainly because the ice was just too expensive. And even once ice boxes began appearing in homes in Britain as well, Brits never took a liking to ice in their drinks. Next, read up on the surprising difference between British and American vanilla ice cream.
