Ice Breaker is like the first game of Never Have I Ever you play with your floor in first year. You start off all sweet and innocent – “Never have I ever been to Kings College”, laughing and getting to know each other. But then someone hits you with “Never have I ever done anal” and it suddenly, without warning, it turns into a roast session and you’re the main course.
The first time I was served Ice Breaker was at a keg party and I honestly thought the hosts had been scammed into buying 50 litres of lemonade. But I kept sipping and kept sipping, and before I knew it I was on the floor. Ice Breaker is sneaky like that.
Ice Breaker is available from McDuffs brewery at $186 for a 50L keg, or $9.90 for a 2L rigger if you bring your own bottle. Meenan’s bottle store sells a slightly cheaper knock-off called Vodka Lemon, but it’s exactly the same shit.
Frankly, Ice Breaker is a waste of time. It’s a 4% RTD, something that most liquor stores would be embarrassed to sell. The pure amount of syrup you have to pour down your throat to get a proper buzz on is sickening. 12 standard drinks contains 2760 calories, making it quite literally the unhealthiest alcoholic drink on the market.
But what it lacks in nutritional value, it more than makes up for in drinkability. With a complete lack of alcohol flavour, it goes down a treat, making it perfect for large parties where you have to cater to a wide range of tastes (or if you’re a fresher who hasn’t learned to drink yet). But seriously, McDuffs sells a fantastic range of beers and a quality ginger beer, don’t be afraid to try them out.
Tasting notes: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate
Pairs well with: Saveloys, parties pies, children’s birthday cake
Taste Level: 8/10
Froth Level: 6/10
Diabetes Level: Type 2