First bar made of glacial ice opens in Patagonia, Argentina

by Jessica Festa on

The first ice bar in Patagonia, Argentina, opened last week, which also happens to be the first bar in the world created out of glacial ice, according to Paola Singer of The New York Times. Located just outside El Calafate, Glaciobar is the newest addition to Glaciarium, a new science museum focusing on the region’s hundreds of glaciers.

Glaciobar will provide patrons with gloves, hooded capes, and boots for warmth. For health and safety reasons, however, the maximum time allowed in the bar is 20 minutes. During this time, most people choose to sip on the house cocktail, a mixture of Fernet con Coca and Coca Cola.

Want to see for yourself what Glaciobar is like? Check out this video:


Drink vodka on the ice in the ice at a new Orlando bar

by Jamie Rhein on

We’ve written about hotels made of ice–this one in Quebec, another in Sweden, and one in Finland. We’ve also written about ice bars. There is one in Montreal, for example. At least there was in 2006 when former Gadling blogger Neil wrote that particular post.

As of October 1, there’s another place to get cold for a cold one. Icebar Orlando opened as one more option for adults looking for an adventure. In this AP article, Mark Wangrin provides an overview about what patrons can expect.

To help ward against the cold, visitors are provided with an insulated cape and gloves. Also, don’t expect to linger. The 27-degree temperature means that one or two drinks, and you’re out of there. There’s a 45-minute time limit on visits.

With the $35 cover charge that includes the cost of a drink, a trip to Icebar Orlando is not one of the cheaper things to do in the Sunshine State. Double the cost of admission and you’re in Disney World for a day. The Icebar is quieter though.

If you want to spend some more time here, you can hang out in the Chill Lounge where temperatures are regular and there isn’t an extra charge.

Ice Bar in Dubai

by Neil Woodburn on


Is it just me, or has the city of Dubai gone completely crazy?

We’ve posted a number of times here on Gadling about the wild construction frenzy enveloping this city and the wacko projects which have been popping up around town, such as a ski resort in the frickin’ desert, for example.

Well, not to be outdone by their friends to the (way) north, Dubai is now host to the Middle East’s very first ice bar. Yep, an actual bar made out of ice.

We’ve posted about ice bars here on Gadling as well, but they’ve been located in places like Montreal and Stockholm. I never thought we’d be posting about an ice bar in the middle of the frickin’ desert, however.

And yet, all that oil money has brought ice to the desert.

According to recent an AP article, the $3 million bar was craved out of ice in Canada and then shipped to Dubai where patrons enjoy “walls, tables and chairs; cups, glasses and plates; … art, sculptures, beaded curtains, a chandelier and the bar” all made entirely of ice.

And you wonder why the price of gas is so high?

Photo of the Day (2/10/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

There is something about StrudelMonkey’s photos of food and beverage that always seem to draw me to them. Perhaps it is my insatiable appetite to experience new bits, nibbles, sips and guzzles in exotic areas. In this most recent addition to the Gadling Flickr pool we are lured into the Absolut Ice Bar in Stockholm, Sweden by two drinks on ice. And when I say on ice I really mean in ice – ice glasses. According to the photographer everything is made ice which means you’ll have to throw back the vodka extremely fast or wear some mittens while babysitting your glass. As wimpy as I am about the cold I wouldn’t mind chilling out at this cool spot on a frosty Saturday night.

Being Cold Is, Well, Cool

by Iva Skoch on

The NY Times had a couple of suggestions for getting cold this winter: Being Cold is the Hot Trend this Winter. The first suggestion was the ice bar newly installed at the Four Seasons in Paris (and not yet on their web site).

I’ve been to London’s Absolut Ice Bar, which is actually kind of fun. It’s been open a year now, and the gimmick is this: you pay an entrance fee and get a parka to wear and enter the small bar. You’re supposedly allowed in for only 40 minutes or so, but the rules are lax. Anyway, the entire bar, tables, and portions of the walls are made of blocks of ice. It’s dark but has colorfully lit surfaces, taking advantage of the transparency of the ice. You’ve got a choice of various drinks–all made with Absolut Vodka, of course–poured into squarish “glasses” which are also blocks of ice. And, yes, there’s one in Stockholm, too. And that one’s linked to the management of the igloo Ice Hotel in Sweden (see Erik’s post about it here).

Another NYT suggestion was the CryoTherapy Center in Slovakia, where you’re stripped down and get chilled from room temperature to below zero in one chamber, then enter a chamber that’s chilled to -184 degrees F, colder than the lowest recorded temperature on earth. Then, if that’s not torture enough, you head to the gym for a workout.