The shape and size of the ice cubes you use in your cocktails and smoothies can impact not only a drink's presentation, but the overall taste of the drink. Before you start taking out ice from a tray to toss into your blender, you may want to consider which type of ice will give you the best results depending on your recipe.

For the smoothest smoothies and perfectly blended cocktails, the best ice is on the smaller side — think of those small pieces of ice that are satisfying, but not painful to bite down on. Distributors favor this kind of ice, since the softer texture is less likely to jam or damage ice machines, and the same goes for your blender at home.

To get this kind of ice straight from your freezer, you might have to break down the larger ice cubes you already have, but that's easy enough to do. Place standard-size ice cubes in a plastic bag and use a wooden spoon to smash it into smaller pieces, then put it right in the blender to easily whip up perfect frozen drinks.