US. I use crushed ice in my soda unless I am drinking it from the can/bottle. I always get ice from fountains in convenience stores or when I am in a restaurant.
I use no ice at home. There hasn’t been ice in our freezer for years; if we’re having a party, we buy ice. If I’m out, I remember to ask for very little ice, because it hurts my teeth.
United States- I’m an iceaholic. Winter or summer, I gotta have my ice. If I fill it myself and can get free refills I fill it with ice all the way to the top (otherwise I fill it about halfway, such as in cases where I will be on the go and unable to get a refill). What I hate is when I order a drink and they only put a little bit of ice in it. A small volume of ice, especially crushed ice, melts too fast and I don’t get the icy texture that I enjoy having in a drink. I usually drink the contents fairly quickly, so melting and dilution aren’t usually a concern with enough ice to maintain a near-freezing temperature. Once I’ve enjoyed the soda content I like to munch on the ice.
US: I use ice. Drives my wife crazy 'cause I shake the glass so the cubes won’t refreeze back together in one big clump.
Australian living in the U.S.: I like a lot of ice in a glass of water.
I’m not a big fan of ice in non-alcoholic drinks.
If I’m having Coca-cola, fruit juice or milk it will be from the fridge, so doesn’t need ice. I’m fine with tap water or bottled water from the fridge without ice.
If tap water is straight from a tap, I’d probably ask for ice.
It’s not that I like room temperature drinks, I just don’t see the need for ICE COLD drinks- cool or cold is fine.
I’m fine with warm ale and neat whiskey but I like an ice-cold G&T, Martini or rum & coke. Cheap beer and cider are almost always improved with ice.
Location- 3 guesses.
US: At home, I only use ice if the drink isn’t already cold, but that is mainly because I’m too lazy to break out the ice trays. At restaurants, I happily accept however much ice they give me, and when operating a soda fountain I always add some ice.
American – If the drink is already cold, I don’t use ice. If it’s not cold, I want just enough ice to cool it, but not so much that taking a swig will require manoeuvring around the ice. And I don’t like a drink to be diluted by melted ice, so I’m willing to use more ice in water than in other drinks.
In restaurants, I always ask for water without ice, because I drink a lot of water with meals, and having ice in the glass requires more frequent refilling. The water I drink with a meal need not be cold. Tap-cool is fine with me.
People who talk about watering down are not using enough ice. It seems counterintuitive but you get less melt if you include more ice.
US, love ice.
On a trip to Maine and New Brunswick I found it was very tough to get ice up there.
Then you end up with too much ice and not enough beverage.
Drinks that are already cold won’t water down much, either. The ice just keeps them cold.
I like ice in most cold drinks–especially when the weather is hot. In Houston, that’s most of the time.
US. I’m a switch-hitter. I rarely use ice at home except in the occasional mixed drinks, but am just fine with its ubiquity when eating out. I’m perfectly fine drinking most sodas warm ( or cold ), so that’s not an issue. The only time I crave it is occasionally in a big tumbler of water, but even that isn’t consistent. Booze is just as variable, really.
I like a little Cherry Coke with my ice.
I fill my 16oz mug to the top with ice, then pour in about half the can of coke. Drink most of it, pour in more coke. Add ice as necessary. But the other side of it for me is that it kills most of the carbonation (straight out of the can is too harsh for me) but leaves a nice amount, AND it waters it down a bit, which is just fine by me.
I remember back in 1986 when I walked into a bar in London (I don’t get to travel much) and asked for a coke. I got it room temp, no ice. I asked for some ice. Bartender looked at me strange and went on about how it will water it down and how cold drinks are bad for the stomach. I said a> I don’t mind watering it down I just want it ice cold, and b> then I suppose buying ice cream in the park was a bad idea on a hot day, eh? To my suprise, he said YES, it was bad to eat ice cream on a hot day.
Silly stupid limey bastard. 