Chilled Ingredient for Beverages

A method of preparing a pre-blended beverage ingredient for use in the preparation of chilled beverages, the method including the steps of placing ice cubes or other pieces of solid ice together with a volume of liquid in a blending vessel, and using an impeller to blend the ice within the liquid to produce a mixture of chilled liquid and a blended ice product in the form of a soft paste-like substance, and wherein the chilled liquid is strained from the mixture after blending.

A pre-blended beverage ingredient for use in the preparation of a chilled beverage wherein the ingredient is the product of a mixture of ice and a volume of liquid, which has been blended together in a vessel using an impeller rotated at high speed, and then strained so as to filter off excess liquid, thereby leaving a blended ice product, preferably in the form of a soft paste-like substance.

A method of dispensing a chilled beverage, the method including the steps of loading beverage ingredients into a container, the beverage ingredients including a volume of pre-blended ice and one or more additional beverage ingredients, and then blending the ingredients with the pre-blended ice to create a blended beverage for dispensing.

A method of dispensing a chilled blended beverage, the method including the steps of pre-packing one or more beverage ingredients in a container in the form of a disposable drinks vessel, wherein the beverage ingredients are sealed in the container by a removable closure, transporting said pre-packed container to a further storage location, storing said the beverage ingredients at said storage location, selecting said container from storage and removing said removable closure from the container so as to access the pre-packed ingredients within the container, adding a volume of pre-blended ice to said pre-packed ingredients and blending the pre-packed ingredients with the pre-blended ice to create a chilled blended beverage for dispensing.

Apparatus for storing a chilled pre-blended ice ingredient, the apparatus comprising a main body having first and second chambers arranged in fluid communication with one another via a filter for filtering excess liquid from a mixture of blended ice and liquid loaded into the first chamber, for separation of liquid from the blended ice, so as to maintain the integrity of the ice product.

A disposable beaker for use as part of an apparatus for preparing a blended beverage, wherein the beaker has an open end and includes an annular internal shoulder spaced from its open end and arranged for seating a blending lid inside the open end of the beaker, wherein the beaker defines an annular wall extending up from said shoulder, and wherein an inwardly directed circumferential projection is provided in said wall for sealing cooperation with a blending lid when the lid is seated on the shoulder.