Gear: Ice Barware

Anyone can pop cubes out of a tray, but excellent summer cocktails require expertly crushed and cracked ice. Whether you’re fixing Mai Tais for a tropical bash, serving spritzes poolside, or drinking a Mojito alone on your fire escape, here’s everything you need for the ice your drinks deserve.

Lewis Ice Bag and Mallet

A classic bartenders’ tool, canvas Lewis bags are made to absorb excess water, which some say produces “drier” ice with less surface moisture, thus slowing dilution speeds. Try it out while you pound cubes into submission with Viski’s sleek 12-inch beechwood mallet. The process lets you control how finely you want your ice crushed and is a pretty solid outlet for pent-up aggression. $29.99/viski.com

Ice Tapper

An oldie but goodie. This redesign of an iconic midcentury bar tool is still perfect for efficiently breaking large cubes in the palm of your hand. With a flexible plastic handle and heavy stainless steel tapper, this tool does double duty as an ice cracker and drink stirrer. $13.99/cocktailkingdom.com

Kakuri Sangyo Chisel

Many bar pros swear by oire nomi, or handheld Japanese chisels that make fast work of splitting large blocks of ice and shaving ice for Mint Juleps and more. This sturdy tool has a white oak handle. Its 1.65-inch beveled blade made from Japanese high-carbon steel sharpens easily. $34/kakuritools.com

Iceberg Ice Crusher

This hand-crank tool is a lo-fi little engine that could. It firmly affixes to your countertop thanks to suctioned footing. Its stainless steel blades can beset to coarsely or finely crush up to 5 1/2 cups of ice at a time. It does require a bit of elbow grease to get going, but no more than your average hard shake. Plus, the machine is made of BPA-free plastic and comes with a five-year warranty. $36.61/amazon.com

Pebble Ice Tray

For those with a particular affinity for pebble ice (we get it), this sleek silicone tray from the ice pros at Peak hits the mark, making more than 100 perfect pebbles per batch. The slim molds freeze quickly and the fitted lid keeps your ice odor-free and allows for easy freezer stacking. $14/wandp.com

Anvil Ice Pick

A marvel of handheld efficiency, this ice pick is essentially two tools in one. The hammer-shaped top cracks into large blocks of ice with ease. And the natural wood handle provides excellent control when cutting and shaping with the pointed end. Just be sure to handle with care. $26.99/cocktailkingdom.com