There are plenty of utilitarian buckets that do the trick. Stainless steel is a smart choice for durability. But if you’re throwing big parties or toting your ice bucket along to the tailgate or another fest, you'll want it to be unbreakable. Some ice buckets are simply too pretty to be made of indelible, long-lasting materials.

But if you want solid ice that perseveres as you tend to guests and mix a bunch of drinks, go for double-walled construction that cushions the ice with a layer of insulating air between the walls. Sometimes you don’t need the ice to last too long you’re at home, you’re going to use the ice quickly, you only need it to chill a bottle, and you can always replenish. But for backwoods blowouts and summer-house bashes, toughen up your ice bucket game with the YETI Tank 45.

Whether you need ice to whip up cocktails, want to cool a bottle of wine, or are looking to add pizzazz to your bar, here are the best ice buckets for all of your chilling endeavors.įor overall functionality on a home bar, the Charles Joly–designed Crafthouse by Fortessa can’t be beat. “They can be dressed up with custom ice cubes inside or with fresh cut flowers tucked in between bottles,” says Dana Darley-Daily, director of development and partnerships at the Kentucky dining club The Louisville Thoroughbred Society. Whatever purpose you'll need your ice cubes for, an ice bucket is just the thing to keep them at the ready.īut ice buckets aren’t just utilitarian-they’re also about their looks. Marvelous things, those ice cubes: surround a bottle with them, and the liquid inside gets chilly, or pop them straight into a beverage, and you've got several key minutes of peak imbibing temperature (before dilution rears its ugly head). There are few things more disappointing than a drink that’s not as cold as it was intended to be, and any good host knows the value of investing in a good vessel to maximize the lifespan of the ice cubes that will ensure your drink stays cold.

Vintage ice buckets