If ever there was a time for a cold one, it’s today.

Just think about how the drops of condensation slowly roll down the outside of the glass as you wrap your fingers around it, and how it feels when chilled liquid hits the back of your parched throat. That first swallow. Imagine that pleasure. Then read “Ice” by Amy Brady and imagine not ever having it again.

Two centuries ago, if you lived in the northern part of America and you wanted a good, cold glass of water, you were in luck. Chances were that someone you knew had taken their lives in their hands last winter and harvested ice from a lake or river, storing it in an icehouse for later. Yes, it was ice — cold, solid — but it was full of sediment and who-knows-what from its source. Still, it was better than what your penniless Southern brethren had, which was nothing.

All that changed in 1806 when Frederic Tudor figured out how to ship ice south to the islands off the tip of Florida. Problem was, nobody there had seen ice, so nobody knew what to do with it. Enterprising Tudor mixed drinks and made ice cream as a demonstration.

When Dr. John Gorrie discovered a way to manufacture ice, it meant the difference between losing most of his patients to fevers and being able to save some. Even so, people laughed at him, partly because most folks believed in “crowd poison” (which “didn’t exist”), and partly because Tudor created a “smear campaign” against Gorrie.

Gorrie, by the way, also figured out how to use ice to cool a room.

Once, ice was delivered by strong, brawny icemen, schlepped into home or apartment along with a rumored bit of flirting. Ice was a commodity beloved by bartenders, fraudsters, CEOs, and presidents. It’s been a lifesaver and, says Brady, the catalyst for convenience stores. Without it, we wouldn’t have curling, skiing, skating, sweet tea, or margaritas.

Without it, we wouldn’t have ice cream.

Can you stand to think about a summer without ice? Probably not. Author Amy Brady says we Americans have an “obsession” with it and in “Ice,” you’ll see how that happened.

You’re so not ready for winter and that’s OK; the stuff that coats your sidewalk in January isn’t what this book is about. Instead, this story begins with today’s intentional use of ice, the kind we consume and that which we specifically create, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Readers can fill a tall glass and learn about presidents, physicians, and scientists who still don’t quite understand all there is to know about frozen water. See how we play with it, on it, and in it. Grab some change and listen for the ice cream truck. Pity your ancestors, who only had disgustingly dirty ice to eat. Start this slice of history, and it’s a slippery slope — but a fun one. “Ice” is the kind of read that surprises and delights.

It’s a pretty cool book.

“Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks — a Cool History of a Hot Commodity” by Amy Brady
c.2023, Putnam
$29.00
312 pages