Northshore Magazine

"Hold tHe glasses witH two Hands…tHey can be slippery." This is, admittedly, unusual advice to receive upon entering a bar. But when the glasses are made of solid ice, it is advice that's wisely heeded. Frost Ice Bar is one of Boston's newest—and undoubtedly coolest—establishments. In fact, it's downright frigid. Opened in August 2013 at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Frost says it's the largest permanent indoor ice bar in the world. For folks on the North Shore, intricately carved ice is nothing new; ice sculptures are staples of First Night events from Newburyport to Boston, and Lawrence is home to the renowned ice art company, Brilliant Ice Sculpture. But ice bars take ice art to another level, where everything—from the cups, to the walls and furniture, and even to the bar itself— is made out of glittering solid ice. Ice bars originated in Sweden in the mid-1990s, and in the years since, their 154 KJ JanFeb14 FE IceBar.indd 154 popularity has surged through Europe, Russia, and now, North America. Although temporary, outdoor ice bars have popped up at places like Maine's Portland Harbor Hotel. Frost Ice Bar is New England's first permanent one, says general manager Grier Colella. And it's an experience that you'll find nowhere else in New England. "It's a magical, beautiful attraction that you can go into and just do something that's completely unique," Colella says. Walking into Frost Ice Bar is, indeed, like venturing to another world. A cool, bluish glow emanates from every icy surface, thanks to blue lights embedded within the ice sculptures themselves. A huge chandelier made of strung-together crystal-like ice cubes hangs from the ceiling. Visitors huddle together as they sit on faux-fur–padded ice booths and ice couches. Bartenders pour cocktails, like the ginger-infused 1912, into solid-ice glasses that keep the drinks crisply cold and pleasantly thickened, too. The décor gives nice nods to Boston culture with images of JFK and the city skyline adorning the walls, baseballs frozen into the middle of an ice sculpture, and even the words "Boston Strong" carved in block letters right by the door. And lest you freeze in the 21degrees Fahrenheit space, Frost Ice Bar outfits all of its patrons with gloves and purple knee-length, insulated capes that are so large and voluminous that a Frost employee actually puts it over your head for you before you walk inside the frigid bar. Although 21 degrees is certainly cold, "it's a totally different cold than it is outside," Colella says. Unlike a North Shore morning in January, there's no wind chill or moisture in the air at Frost Ice Bar. For that reason, Frost's brand of indoor cold is easier to take than a blustery day in the elements (sipping cocktails helps in that regard, too). Still, Frost isn't the kind of place where people hang out for the whole night. Instead, it's more of a novelty attraction that's tailor-made for photo-ops and fun. In fact, Colella says the average visit Ice Excellence: Frost general manager Grier Colella Above, a nod to Boston's fervor for baseball photographs by michael basu (Frost) 11/22/13 9:26 AM

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