(saw whirring) ♪ Go, go, go - [Nathan] All we do in our business is make ice.

♪ Go, go, go - [Austin] Right now you're looking somewhere around 19 degrees, Artisan Ice Sculptures and Cocktail Ice is a family-owned company that strives to make the best cocktail ice and ice sculptures in the Carolinas, even all the way around the southeast.

- [Nathan] This is our two inch cocktail cube.

- Cocktail ice is the larger format ice, some would call it a custom ice that is made from pure, clear crystal blocks that we have here in the shop.

Once they're cut down, (tool whirring) They're then packaged and shipped to our bars and restaurants.

- [Nathan] These are monogrammed and logoed.

- [Austin] These bars and restaurants will put them in their specialty cocktail drinks.

(ice clinking) Our cocktail ice is anywhere from one and three quarters of an inch all the way up to two and a half inches, as well as spheres.

About a third of our business is all towards cocktail ice.

- These are our Collin sticks and these will go into a tall Collins glass for lots of summertime drinks.

Ice is an ingredient and the flavor profiles do matter.

If you've got an ice cube that's been sitting in your freezer next to a bag of french fries, well your ice is gonna taste like french fries.

(bottle squeaking) - We use Artisan Ice because they are the best, they have the most perfect ice cubes that are crystal clear and everybody loves to drink beautiful cocktails and the ice is a big part of that.

When you put a big, beautiful, perfect ice cube like Artisan does in front of a a customer, they every single time people look at it and they're like, wow, that's perfect.

They're like, how do you guys do that?

'cause nobody can do it.

Nobody can get it right at home.

And so I just tell 'em that we've got professionals doing it.

(saw whirring) - [Austin] The ice sculpture side is our bread and butter.

This is where we love to spend our most time is with our ice sculptures.

Ice sculpture takes it right back down to our roots.

(machine clanking) - [Nathan] We start out with a 300 pound block of ice.

These blocks of ice are made in Clinebell ice machines, which take approximately four days to make two blocks of ice.

- These Clinebell machines use a system that freezes the water from the bottom up.

We have a pump that sits at the top that moves the water in a circular motion.

That circular motion creates a current, that current is bringing all those impurities up towards the top.

When I say impurities, I mean your chlorine, the things that would be in your city tap water, as well as your air bubbles, whether you believe it or not, the ice that comes outta your fridge in the ice maker of your fridge.

You know how it's kind of cloudy or white?

That's because it's sitting in the tray and nothing's moving that water, so it's just freezing in one piece there.

- [Nathan] When they're ready, we harvest them and run 'em through our band saw.

We store them in our freezer until we're ready to use them.

- [Austin] When it comes to creating an ice sculpture, it takes lots and lots of craftsmanship.

Nathan has been honing in this skill for many years now.

Nathan is a master carver.

(tool whirring) Who is always willing to try something new.

- [Nathan] I like to carve animals.

Animals really are fun to me.

Nature scenes, anything, just really it's all about whatever the most challenge is for the time.

For some folks' wedding, we did a nine foot tall cactus and it was just magnificent.

(tool whirring) - [Austin] So it's always cool to hear the responses from our customers.

- Everybody's just always asked is that real ice?

Funny enough.

♪ Go, go, go The passion is, it's about making other people happy.

You know, it's all about for me, creating a wow factor.

When I walk into a building or the bride sees their sculpture for the first time.

It's a breathtaking moment and it's all about seeing everybody's happiness and bringing people together.