Why There Is a Shortage of Ice in Spain – Sweating Like the Duke of York

There is little or no ice to be had anywhere in Spain; Why?

Ice, Ice Baby!

There is little or no ice in most of the regular outlets in Spain. Here, in the Malaga province of Andalucia, the ice has dried up (no pun intended). Ice is a hot commodity (groan!). If you can get your hands on some frozen water, buy it!

Places such as garages which normally have lots of bags of ice, now, have none! Supermarkets are the same; they are all out of ice.

Why no Ice?

Certain factors come into play here; the long, very hot weather and the very expensive utilities. Because it has been very hot (40ºC+) for such a long period, people want cold drinks. Ice makes drinks nice and cold.

The trouble with the cold cubes is that you need to make them using electricity. This, in turn, makes the product very expensive.

Spain has one of the most expensive electricity markets in Europe. So, it would make the production of Spanish ice cubes expensive. No?

Why is Spanish electricity so expensive? I could explain but, it would be technical and boring. So, instead, I’ll let those nice people at Endesa, the electricity suppliers bore you to death (I mean, explain)

Another factor for the lack of ice apart from the electricity price and the hot weather is the influx of tourists. There are a lot more tourists, now that the pandemic has been brought under control. So, production is having a hard time matching demand.

What about my cocktails?

I love cocktails! I drink cocktails all the time but, a nice Old Fashioned or Mint Julep needs lots of ice to make it nice and cold. Usually, I would buy a bag of frozen H2O from the garage or the supermarket. In emergencies, I would scrounge ice from the local bars.

Now, I have to make my own.

OK, it’s not hard and, there are many ways to do it. However; if you have never had to do this for yourself, ice making at home is as follows:

1. Get a container: Ice cube-making trays can be bought everywhere. The rubber ones are the easiest to use.
2. Fill the container with water.
3. Put the tray, containing the water, into the coldest part of your freezer.
4. Wait until the water goes very hard and cold.
5. Pop out the cubes from the rubber ice tray into a large freezer bag.
6. Repeat this process until you have enough ice.
7. Viola! End of an ice emergency. You can now make your cocktails cool down your drinks or do whatever you need ice for.

Forgive me, if you already know how to do this but, there are people out there that don’t know (really…)

So, when visiting Nerja Beach Holidays on the Costa del Sol, you may find ice is rationed.

Sweating like the Duke of York?

It has been a very hot summer and, it seems to want to continue. So, why not spend your time fruitfully? It is too hot to work! even going for a walk will get you wilting.

So, why not sit inside with a nice, cold drink or sit on your balcony or in your garden of the villa or apartment you have rented from Nerja Beach Holidays? Enjoy!