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One of my favorite summer pastimes is lounging outside on my deck, enjoying a few beverages and simply relaxing, whether that be with company or alone with a book. What I enjoy less is having to go inside to grab another bottle of wine or canned beverage from the fridge, interrupting my aforementioned relaxation. Sure, this is why most people have a cooler — a sizeable, insulated, travel-friendly bin that’ll keep your beverages cold and readily accessible, so you don’t have to wait for a pause in the conversation or leave your comfy outdoor sofa to go inside for a refill. However, some outdoor occasions don’t require you to bust out a massive tub full of ice, especially if you’re solo drinking or hosting a more intimate gathering. This is a job more for an ice bucket.
The ice bucket is an oft-overlooked kitchen essential, and not having one is a serious hosting faux pas. You don’t want guests digging in your freezer scrambling for ice or forced to use the ice that’s keeping the drinks cool in the community cooler (grody!). You should have clean ice that’s housed separately in an insulated pail. An ice bucket can also double as a convenient container for bottles of wine, a few beers, seltzers and bottles of water, one that you can place on a table in the middle of your party so guests can easily help themselves without having to awkwardly bend over a cooler.
When we think of gear designed specifically for outside soirees, our minds go straight to Yeti — the beloved outdoor brand known for its top-rated ice chests, vacuum-insulated stainless-steel drinkware and other accessories. I, for one, love the brand’s durable Rambler Water Bottle and Rambler Colster Can Cooler, two drinkware offerings that keep beverages at the perfect temperature for hours on end. And it’s why I was particularly stoked when the brand released the Rambler Beverage Bucket, a highly engineered ice bucket “built for far-out get-togethers,” as Yeti puts it. Like the rest of Yeti’s Rambler collection, the new 11.5″W x 8.8″H drink bucket features the same double-walled vacuum insulation as its bottles, mugs and can insulators and enduring, kitchen-grade stainless steel construction. It also has a 256oz capacity and is big enough, according to Yeti, to hold a six-pack or three bottles of wine.
After spending a few days and nights with the Rambler Beverage Bucket, I’ve found the new offering from Yeti to be yet another knock-out piece of gear from the brand.
For starters, it looks quite strapping perched on a table, so you’ll have no issue making it the centerpiece of your gatherings. But it wasn’t until I received it in person that I realized just how large the bucket is, and you can easily fit ice, a 6-pack or three bottles of wine — and then some. As for how long it’ll keep those beverages cold, Yeti doesn’t have a precise time estimate (because you’ll likely be using this without its lid most of the time), after filling the bucket up with ice at around 7 PM last night, I let it sit topless overnight with a beer. All of the ice did melt by morning, however, the water and lone beer I stuck in there are both still ice cold — so it has the capability of keeping drinks cold for at least 12 hours. The bucket also comes with a transparent lid that helps with ice retention, as well.
Beyond its size, another surprising attribute is its heftiness. The bucket weighs a little less than seven pounds without ice and beverages, so a fair warning if you’re thinking of hauling it somewhere beyond your backyard, it can be a tad cumbersome to lug around. Still, its heavyweight construction is just another testament to how sturdy and dependable this piece of gear truly is. This bucket means business, and if you’re serious about your outdoor occasions or even solo drinking sessions, the Yeti Rambler Bucket is a solid investment.
The ice bucket retails for $150 and is available in three core colors (Navy, White and Stainless) along with two limited edition colors (Camp Green and High Desert Clay). Yeti also offers a weighty, perforated stainless steel Ice Scoop, designed to not only scoop ice from your Rambler Bucket but to help break it up as well, which you’ll have to purchase separately for $50.
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