Ice cubes are a big part of the cocktail experience. A good, solid cube of ice makes a satisfying clink in the glass and adds some heft and visual appeal to a drink. More importantly, a big, solid cube doesn’t melt as quickly, which translates to a drink that doesn’t water down too fast. Much like buying good wine glasses, investing in good-quality ice-cube trays is one easy and affordable way to make your at-home cocktail experience that much better. Whether it is for entertaining your guests or simply for the occasional drink made at home, good ice cubes will really enhance your cocktails.

Now, I’m the first to admit that I still have the ice-cube trays that came with my refrigerator. The trays make those weird trapezoidal cubes that are fine for soda pop or ice water, but let’s be honest: they really take away from a cocktail. I still use those trays, just not for cocktails. Up until now, I’ve used the Tovolo Perfect Cube tray for drinks. I’ve been really happy with it, and except for a few minor criticisms, I usually keep two trays of Tovolo cubes in the freezer for cocktails, using the trapezoid cubes for run-of-the-mill applications.

Recently, the people at Dexas sent me their ice-cube trays to try out. For around ten dollars, you get two Dexas ice-cube trays (there are a variety of colors to choose from), each making nine cubes. The trays are 100 percent silicon, dishwasher-safe, and really well-designed. One of the issues I have with other ice trays is their length. Most trays won’t fit in a mini-refrigerator, or they are too long to stack effectively. The Dexas tray is a square, so you can stack a couple on top of each other, making it easy to keep your bar stocked with good ice.

Overall, the Dexas ice-cube tray is a nice product. At the ten dollar price point, it’s a great way to improve your cocktails, and it’s a well-designed product. The cubes come out easily, the trays stack nicely, and you get a good solid cube. What more can you ask for in an ice-cube tray? Personally, the Dexas tray just fits better in my cramped freezer, so I’ll be retiring the Tovolo trays and using these trays for my cocktail ice needs from now on. If freezer space is at a premium, I think the Dexas tray is the way to go: you’ll get good ice and not use up too much of your freezer’s footprint with these. You can find the Dexas ice cube trays online at Amazon or at better brick-and-mortar shops. If you are looking for an ice-cube tray, definitely keep an eye out for these trays: they’ve been a very pleasant surprise.

Disclosure: I received a sample of this product from Dexas for review. No other compensation from Dexas was received.