Hi - In the first place, until recently they didn't make ice cube molds in this huge size. You want a single big chunk of ice to minimize dilution in certain drinks (less surface area than having many small pieces). In the second place, it's nearly impossible to make ice that is perfectly clear in an ice cube tray. So this method results in a nice big, aesthetically pleasing piece of ice for a well-crafted drink.
Hi Seth - I've seen a lot of people use serrated bread knives for cutting ice (and that's what I used to use myself), rather than this shape carving that Andrew does in the video with a fancy knife. These days I just use an ice pick to cut it into chunks though and find it very easy: www.alcademics.com/2010/11/cutting-blocks-of-ice-with-an-icepick.html
I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but what is the point of cutting ice other than you can make it any size you want? Is hand cut ice any better than regular ice for a regular drink?
+Pearl Evans There is good knife info on the blog post where this video comes from - scroll down to the comments. www.alcademics.com/2010/08/ice-meets-chainsaw.html
