How to Keep Sherbet and Ayran Cold at the Table

Ice cools a drink by melting, and every piece that melts adds water to the drink. Sherbet is a balance of sugar and fruit; ayran is a balance of yogurt and water. As the ice melts, these proportions shift: sherbet becomes diluted and its flavor thins, while ayran becomes thinner and loses the yogurt’s tang. The longer the meal lasts, the more noticeable the difference becomes: the first glass tastes right, while the last glasses taste watery. That is why the real way to chill a drink is to chill its container, not the drink itself. Ice also takes up space in the glass; when the glass is half full of ice, there is less room for the drink.

Set the pitcher in the center of a wide bowl containing ice and a little water. Ice alone is not enough; pieces of ice touch the pitcher at only a few points, leaving air between them. When you add water to the ice, the water surrounds the pitcher and carries the cold more effectively. The ice water should reach the level inside the pitcher, or the drink at the top will warm up. Set the bowl on a coaster at the table because water droplets that collect on the outside will run onto the table. Add fresh ice to the bowl as it melts; do not remove the water.

If you definitely want ice, make it from the drink itself. Pour sherbet into an ice cube tray and freeze it, then add those cubes to the glass; when they melt, they add sherbet to the drink instead of water. These cubes also make a decorative touch in lemon or mint sherbet: you can put a mint leaf or a piece of lemon peel in each section of the tray. If you chill the glasses in the refrigerator ahead of time, the drink will not warm up as soon as it is poured, and the first sip will stay cold. This method is not recommended for ayran; its texture may change as frozen ayran thaws, so chill ayran only from the outside.

Ayran has another problem: it separates as it sits. The yogurt settles at the bottom, leaving a watery layer on top, so the first glass poured from the pitcher is thin and the last is thick. The reason and how to fix it are the subject of a separate tip; at the table, shake the pitcher before every pour. If you want foamy ayran, make the foam by whisking it just before serving because foam that sits collapses quickly. To shake it, close the pitcher’s lid or stir from the bottom with a long-handled spoon.

Do not put all of the drink on the table at once. Use a small pitcher and refill it from the portion kept in the refrigerator as it empties; this way, only a small amount of the drink warms up at the table. Do not pour cold drink on top of a half-finished pitcher that has warmed up; empty it first. The safe holding temperature and how long the drink can remain out are matters of food safety and are covered in a separate tip. Collect glasses as they empty, too; do not pour fresh drink into a glass that still has warm drink at the bottom.