The New Bar Standard: Why Ice-O-Matic’s New UCG Machine is Essential for 2022 – Memphis Ice

If you’ve been following along with our blog posts, chances are you’ve seen one of our recent blog posts about everyone’s new favorite ice machine: the UCG Undercounter Ice Maker. This clean, compact product is the latest piece of equipment from our partner, Ice-O-Matic.

To call it “the new bar standard” is an understatement. The UCG Undercounter Ice Maker is faster, quieter, and better than any other product on the market. It will change how you serve customers! Today, we’re going to look at the features that have earned this new machine its well-deserved title.

Nearly 70% of consumers in North America think it’s important for a brand to be eco-friendly. 2020 reshaped the way consumers view companies and their values. 2021 further honed consumer views. The result? Critical consumers with high expectations for brands and businesses to care about the planet.

What makes the UCG Undercounter Ice Maker an eco-friendly choice? R290 refrigerant. Unlike other refrigerants that produce greenhouse gases and harm the ozone layer, Ice-O-Matic handpicked R290 for its ability to yield more ice with lower wattage consumption. 

The UCG Undercounter Ice machine, by a mile, achieves the standard for global warming potential, or GWP. The maximum threshold for refrigerants is 150 GWP. The UCG Undercounter Ice Machine’s rating? 3 GWP. This rating places this ice maker in an elite class all its own.  

But Ice-O-Matic isn’t just following the recent sustainability trends—they’ve been leading it since 1952. From dedicated recycling initiatives to closed-loop manufacturing, Ice-O-Matic is running a company the way it should be. We’re very proud to work with them!

Sustainable choices aren’t the only trend on the rise in 2022 for the foodservice industry; premium craft cocktails are expected to flourish as we return to normal. And boy, do we need a cocktail after the last two years. The spike in craft cocktail consumption is a result of consumers spending time learning about and appreciating cocktails in quarantine. Virtual happy hours and sheer boredom are to blame for this trend. It’s just smart business to capitalize on it.

But let’s back up a minute and look at what a craft cocktail is.

What’s a craft cocktail?

According to Chowhound, the anatomy of a craft cocktail is:

• 1 part exceptional ingredients
• 1 part detailed craftsmanship
• 1 part creative flair
• 1 part multiple ingredients from various spirit categories
• 1 part sentimentality 

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! A craft cocktail is like the homemade version of the store-bought mix. For bartenders and mixologists, that means focusing on quality rather than quantity. 

Why does the ice matter so much?

Believe it or not, ice is considered a food by the FDA. Likewise, there is a difference in quality, taste, and aesthetic. Everyone has their unique preferences! That’s why we offer all sorts of ice makers that produce the ice you want. The UCG series creates crystal clear gourmet ice that melts slowly, looks beautiful, and provides the quality your customers crave. 

Save the planet and serve the perfect drink—sounds like a winning cocktail.

The Ice-O-Matic UCG Undercounter Ice Maker has changed the game for ice machines. To learn how you can get this groundbreaking machine behind your bar, reach out to a seasoned technician here .