"Entrepreneur Frederick Tudor started sending ice from American bodies of water all around the world in the 1800s. It was seen as a luxury to be able to afford and cool or preserve your food and beverages with ice. When Tudor still had leftover ice from his export business, he'd give it to American taverns, who popped chunks of it into drinks. People loved how refreshing those chilly drinks were, and then wanted to buy ice from Tudor - a genius marketing plan."
"Ice became a de rigueur beverage ingredient for Americans, and it also became more available and affordable over the years as people started keeping kitchen essentials in iceboxes. But because it was being exported, ice's expensive inaccessibility stuck around longer in Europe, and so it never caught on. Even when it did become more readily available, Europeans didn't get the appeal, believing it just watered their drinks down."
American preference for ice in drinks originated in the 1800s when entrepreneur Frederick Tudor exported ice worldwide and promoted its use domestically by supplying taverns with leftovers. Ice transitioned from luxury to commonplace as iceboxes and refrigeration made it affordable. Europe lagged because exported ice remained expensive and inaccessible, so widespread use never emerged. Even after availability improved, many Europeans resisted adding ice, viewing it as diluting or watering down beverages. Americans value cold, thirst-quenching drinks and accept dilution, often refilling sodas; Europeans often prefer undiluted flavors and therefore typically serve drinks without ice.
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