Lewis Bag for Crushed Ice (8.5 x 12.25) Vintage Style By Sip Barware of Landas Supply for Bartenders, Made of Quality Canvas

I didn't even know what lewis bag was until i wanted to make mint juleps. I turned it inside out and put it in the washing machine before using. Thick durable canvas. I smashed up some ice using the flat side of a steel meat tenderizer. Filled with crushed ice I grabbed what i needed and put the bag in the freezer still full of crushed ice for next time.

The coronavirus quarantine has forced us to do the unthinkable--make cocktails at home. Our fridge's ice maker died a while ago, and we had been using a Ziploc bag and the flat side of a meat tenderizer to crush ice. But the bag wasn't very durable, and we tended to end up punching holes in it. A little research led us to the discovery of what is apparently a standard bar tool--the Lewis bag, a sturdy canvas bag with a fold-over flap at one end that you can shove ice cubes into and whack with a mallet to your heart's content.Reviewed a number of these available on Amazon, and the negative reviews tended to focus on one fatal flaw in many of the products--the propensity for the seams to split on the bag. The ad copy for the Lewis bag from Sip Barware noted that their bag was triple-stitched, so we took a gamble. Sure enough, the seams of the bag are triple-stitched (or more--the serged edge of the fabric makes it a little hard to tell), and the 20 oz. canvas is incredibly sturdy.We've only used it once, so it's a little early to determine its durability, but it seems to have held up just fine, and it made an appropriate amount of crushed ice at an appropriate consistency. But I do have some caveats for anyone thinking of buying a Lewis bag (from Sip Barware or anyone). Even though It's a large-ish bag, Sip recommends only crushing enough ice for two or three drinks at a time. (Which makes sense--crushed ice doesn't last long anyway, and putting a whole lot of cubes inside the bag is almost a guarantee that you'll whack your thumb.) But that amount of ice only occupies about a quarter or a third of the bag, and because it's such a thick, stiff fabric, it's difficult to fold over the flap and then roll the bag towards the bottom in order to compress the ice at the bottom end, as Sip recommends. The fold-and-roll does give you a handhold, but it's a bit of a challenge. Hoping the canvas will become more pliable with time. Another consideration--unlike with a Ziploc, you can't see the ice you're whacking. So you can't really gauge how fine it is, or how many large chunks remain, except by touch. And that's a challenge too, given the thickness of the bag. We spent a bit of time prodding and poking at the bag in search of ice chunks. Happily, none of the ice melted (an advantage to thick canvas over polypropylene--it doesn't transfer heat from your hands), and we were pleased with the final result.To some extent we went with Sip Barware's version because it was reasonably priced, especially since we weren't sure a Lewis bag was the best solution (most of the manual ice-crushing machines on Amazon get scathing reviews). And we likewise opted not to spend more to get a Lewis bag with a mallet, though I wonder if a larger, broader, heavier whacking implement would make shorter work of it, or just cause me to crush a thumb.So, in brief, "so far so good." We'll see if it's still going strong in the weeks ahead, and re-post if necessary!

This did the job and high quality material

The Lewis Bag is a huge step up from my usual routine of crushing ice in a heavy duty plastic zipped bag. The plastic bag breaks every single time, a waste of a bag and then ice spills out on the counter. I knew there had to be a better way. The blender I thought would be ideal, but it always left me with ‘ice fluff’ and absolutely whole cubes and very little in between. The Lewis Bag is strong and sturdy, perfect for crushing ice. It’s easy to pour out cracked ice. I wish there were a larger version for bigger batches, but it’s easy to pour out refill with cubes for a second or third batch. Game changer!

Exactly what I was looking for!!!

Googling what happens when you eat silica gel is not something i ever thought i would do out of necessity. For the record, it’s safe to ingest, it will just pass through you. It’s a good bag. Just make sure you take the silica gel packet out before you use it.

I recently hopped on the Mint Julep train and nicely crushed ice became an imperative. After trying to use a food processor to crush ice and doubled up zip locks to pound away at the cubes, I relented and bought this Lewis Bag from SIP Barware. Why did I wait? This super simple device enables me to crush the right amount of ice to the consistency I desire, chunky for a Moscow Mule or "Snow Cone" fine for a Julep. The canvas is thick and sturdy, and the bag itself dries quickly when you hang it. Also, it doesn't soak up water from the ice like I thought it would. I've seen bags with thinner canvas, and that isn't what you want. I've pounded the hell out of this bag with a rolling pin and the side of a meat mallet with no sign of damage. If you are serious about your summer cocktails, get this thing.

I love crushed ice, but since my fridge doesn't have an ice maker, i can only make those big ole cubes. This Lewis bag solves all that, I compared the available ones on amazon and realized this is the biggest one.When I got it, it was prewashed, so it felt "cleaner" to me, and had a nice soft vintage feel.I also like that there isn't any tacky print on the bag.The canvas is really thick, and I can see this being restaurant grade. Also has a nice little loop to hang upside down for drying, which I like.this is a really important feature, otherwise, mold can grow in your lewis bag, so get one that you can hang up to dry.anyways, throw in some cubes, and grab your blunt tool, (I use a crab cracker, but you can easily use the back or butt of a knife) and you can crush the ice as fine as you want!