Cold, Midwest winters influenced photographer and DJ Leslie Kirchhoff's most recent project, Disco Cubes. Growing up in Wisconsin, she was fascinated by nature and ice from a young age. Kirchhoff recalls pressing her nose up against a frozen lake, mesmerized by a fish swimming beneath the layer of ice. The vivid memory and the principle that ice is one of the few materials that gets less dense as it freezes inspired her bespoke ice cube business.
"I was surprised by how many corners of the internet it got to," says photographer and artist Leslie Kirchhoff of her ice tomato. Photo by Leslie Kirchhoff.
Her process is proprietary but Kirchhoff says she uses directional freezing in her Lincoln Heights studio. Replicating that lake and freezing from only one direction allows her to suspend anything from small flowers to company logos in a cube. All of the impurities are pushed down to the bottom, giving the cube its clarity. Experimenting with silicone molds and using botanicals from her garden in Mt. Washington, Kirchhoff takes three days to produce unique cubes.
A shoyu cube takes the spotlight in the golden Bloody Mary made with mini sweet yellow tomatoes. Photo by Leslie Kirchhoff.
Golden Mary + Shoyu Cubes
Makes 1 cocktail
A golden Bloody Mary that starts out peppery and slightly sweet, thanks solely to the tomatoes, then grows more bold and brackish as the cubes’ flavors creep in.
Ingredients
- 2 Shoyu Cubes
- 2 oz [60 ml] Golden Tomato Juice
- 1½ oz [45 ml] vodka
- ¼ oz [7.5 ml] freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp [2.5 g] prepared horseradish
- ¼ tsp [1.5 g] ground white pepper
- Mini sweet yellow tomato, for garnish
- Place the Shoyu Cubes into a cocktail glass.
For the Shoyu Cubes (makes 12)
- 4 oz [120 ml] Golden Tomato Juice
- 1½ oz [45 ml] Worcestershire sauce
- 1 oz [30 ml] soy sauce
- 1 oz [30 ml] pickle brine
- 1½ tsp [7.5 ml] celery bitters
- 1¼ in [3 cm] cube mold
For the Golden Tomato Juice
- 1½ lb [475 g] ripe yellow tomatoes, cored and chopped, preferably a mix of small sweet yellow tomatoes and larger heirloom varieties
- Sea salt
Instructions
- For the Shoyu Cubes: In a large glass measuring cup, combine the tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, pickle brine, bitters, and 6 oz [180 ml] of water. Pour the mixture into the mold and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
- For the Golden Tomato Juice: In a blender, blend the tomatoes until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing to extract the liquid. Season with salt. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use, or for up to 3 days.
- Assemble: In a cocktail shaker filled with plain ice, combine the tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, horseradish, and white pepper. Cover, shake for 10 seconds, then double strain the drink into the glass over the cubes. Cut a small slit in the bottom of the tomato and place it on the rim of the glass to garnish.
Reprinted from "Disco Cube Cocktalks" by Leslie Kirchhoff with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020.
Hand-delivered orders are available throughout Los Angeles and come with directions for tempering the ice so the cubes don't crack in cocktails. Kirchoff's book is Disco Cube Cocktails.
"I wanted to create something that could grow and change with me as my interests changed," says photographer, artist, and DJ Leslie Kirchhoff, who developed Disco Cubes. Photo by Leslie Kirchhoff.
"Disco Cube Cocktails" elevates ice to the centerpiece of retro '70s libations. Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books.