Celebrate summer with rainbow ice cubes that bring the fresh fruits of the season into your drinks! Freezing fresh fruit into ice cubes adds fun flavor and color. Make a few trays full and you’re ready to add a rainbow of fruit flavors to any drink. They’re perfect for rainbow cocktail or mocktail for summer barbecues, or a Pride party.
You can chop any larger fruit to fit into an ice cube tray, or drop small fruit like berries in as is. Then fill the tray with water and place in the freezer for at least three hours or until solid.
You can also freeze herbs or edible flowers (like nasturtiums or violets) in water instead of fruit. Or, play around with ice cube trays in fun sizes and shapes, like spheres or stars.
To make a rainbow of fruit flavors, fill an equal number of cubes with fruit pieces in ROY G. BIV order:
- Red – Strawberries, Raspberries, Pomegranate seeds
- Orange – Mango, Cantaloupe, Orange, Peach
- Yellow – Lemon, Pineapple
- Green – Kiwi, Honeydew, Lime
- Blue – Blueberry, Concord Grape
- Violet – Grapes, Blackberry
Tip: To get crystal clear ice cubes that won’t cloud up, use distilled water.
You could also skip the fruit and freeze colorful liquids, which will add even more flavor to your drink as they melt. Try:
- Red: Cranberry juice
- Orange: Orange or mango juice
- Yellow: Lemonade or pineapple juice
- Green: Green juice blends (or Gatorade)
- Blue: Blueberry juice, butterfly pea flower tea
- Violet: Grape juice
Whether you make your rainbow ice cubes with fruit or juice, as they melt, they’ll make your drinks even more flavorful. And they look great too!
You can even line up the rainbow fruit in a Bundt pan, fill it halfway with water, freeze, and then pop it out into a punch bowl for a floating rainbow!
If you’re having guests over and people are mixing their own drinks, set out the ice cubes in a rainbow display, along with a pair of tongs, and let everyone choose the cube color they want. The display won’t last very long, so they’ll have to move fast—but at the end of the rainbow is a reason to toast!
You’ll Need
- Ice Cube Tray
- Water
- Fruit in Rainbow Colors
How-To:
STEP 1: Gather your rainbow of fruit and cut into pieces small enough to fit in the tray. Place fruit inside each cube.
STEP 2: Fill tray with water about ¾ of the way, being careful not to overfill as the ice will expand.
STEP 3: Freeze for at least three hours or until frozen sold.
Drop your rainbow fruit cubes into a drink and chill!
