Smooth operator

How did ice get into all our drinks? How did it get so much better? It all began with one man's health quest, leading to the Vitamix

- Swetha Sivakumar

Adding ice to milky drinks used to be a bit of a nightmare. The temperature differences caused the fats to solidify and drift about unappetisingly. As the cubes melted, the beverage itself flattened in flavour to a weak, watery muddle.

Today, there is ice in lattes and smoothies, bobas and shakes. Except, it's shaved, chipped, tiny, and actually improves the texture of the drink. How did this happen?

Well, in 1937, health-food entrepreneur William Barnard built a mixer with blunt blades but higher speeds that didn't slice fruits and vegetables and discard the fibre but rather pulverised all of it to retain more nutrients. He called it the Vitamix.