Last weekend, I was outside savoring a delicious Coppa Cocktails Pina Colada while contemplating the sound of ice cubes clinking in my Yeti, which was a thoughtful Christmas present from my amazing sister.

I wasn’t really thinking about the ice itself; I do know that ice comes from freezing water. Rather, I was contemplating the origin of the ice cube. I found myself wondering who created the first tray for freezing individual cubes.

Here is what I discovered.

It is not certain who invented the first ice cube tray for home use, but there is some documentation on how the cube came to be.

1844 – American doctor John Gorrie invented a refrigeration unit that made ice to cool the air for Yellow Fever patients. Some historians argue that Dr. Gorrie also invented an ice cube tray, as records show patients received ice in their drinks.

1914 – Fred Wolf invented the DOMELRE, or the Domestic Electric Refrigerator, with a simple ice tray. He may have been a little ahead of the times as the DOMELRE was a flop.

1920 – Prohibition in the US put a damper on the demand for residential ice creation. Just getting your hands on alcohol was more important than the temperature it was served at.

1933 – With the end of prohibition in sight, Guy Tinkham, the vice president of General Utilities Manufacturing Company, developed a flexible aluminum ice cube tray. The compartments were angled and can be twisted to release individual cubes.

1953 – The Servel Electrolux Company upped the ante by inventing the refrigerator with the first built-in ice machine.

Fast Forward to 2010!

2010 marks the beginning of the Craft Ice Age. Mixologists no longer wanted to plop commercially made cubes into their artisanal cocktails. The shape, size, and clarity of the ice became just as important as all the other ingredients. This demand gave birth to the oversized cube and the perfect sphere among others.