Don’t Make This Mistake at Your Next BBQ—It Could Ruin Your Party

It was a picture-perfect BBQ—until she saw an ice crime committed

Recently, Anne Fritz, an editor here at Reader’s Digest, attended a backyard barbecue. It was perfection—the sun was shining, the burgers were sizzling and the drinks were flowing. The host even had three coolers: one each for beer, soda and mixers. So far, so good, right? Then she went to grab some ice for her drink and was directed to … do something really gross. She decided that instead of risking a side of germs with her gin and tonic, she would just grab a glass of wine (out of the adorable bathtub-style wine chiller)—and she swore to get the word out so others wouldn’t make this same food-safety mistake at their next barbecue.

“There is a proper etiquette for serving ice, even at informal parties, both for the host providing it and the guest adding it to their drinks,” says Jan Goss, a hospitality etiquette expert with more than 30 years of experience and the author of Protocol Power.

What was this chilly crime Fritz was told to commit? And what is the proper drink etiquette? We talked to Goss, along with food-handling pros Dennis Littley, a classically trained chef with 40-plus years of experience and the culinary expert at Ask Chef Dennis, and Brian Strayer, director of catering at Rubio’s Coastal Grill, to break down the safest, smartest and most socially acceptable ways to serve ice outdoors.

Read on to find out the surprisingly common ice faux pas people make at BBQs, and how to keep your drinks germ-free and your guests safe and happy.

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What’s the big mistake?

In short: using the same cooler ice for both chilling drinks and serving in drinks. When Fritz went to get ice for her drink, the host told her to scoop it out of the cooler holding the soda and beers. Yes, with her hand. Yes, the same cooler everyone had been digging around in with their hands and where bottle grime and mystery floaties had been steeping in the meltwater like some kind of Coors Light consommé.

At first glance, it may seem more efficient to have one giant party cooler with all the goodies and a big bag of ice on top. But that melting mess quickly turns into a microbial cesspool once hands, cans and condensation join the party.

“Hosts should never ask guests to serve ice with their hands, and a guest should never stick their hand in an ice container,” Goss says, adding that a thoughtful host will provide something—a scoop, tongs or even a plastic cup—to pick up the ice.

This isn’t just a matter of taste (although, seriously, ew). It’s a legit food-safety issue.

Why is it important to store ice for drinks separately?

“Cross-contamination can be a real concern, especially if hands are digging through a cooler full of mixed-use ice after handling food,” Littley says.

Most industrially produced ice (like the kind of ice in restaurants or sold at grocery stores) is quite clean, and the contamination generally happens during serving, Strayer says. So, yeah, that refreshing cube in your lemonade? It’s basically a sponge for bacteria if it’s been in contact with unwashed hands, meat juice or cans and bottles.

It’s also good etiquette to provide clean ice separately for drinks, Goss says. It’s cleaner, more convenient and just looks nicer.

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What could happen if you use ice from a mixed/regular cooler?

Best-case scenario, your drink tastes a little like grass clippings. Worst-case scenario? You’re spending the night becoming intimately familiar with your bathroom tile and swearing off backyard parties forever.

Unclean ice isn’t just gross, it can be genuinely dangerous. According to a 2024 meta-analysis of ice hygiene studies, published in Microorganisms, contaminated ice has been found to harbor all kinds of unwanted party crashers: E. coli, coliforms, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus, Rotavirus, Norovirus and even molds and yeasts. And once you add a few dozen party guests to the mix, including kids and their very questionable hand-washing habits—especially after handling raw meat or scooping up that last bit of potato salad—it becomes a petri dish of potential contagions.

Now take that melting mess, toss it into your drink and sip away? That’s not a cocktail, it’s a recipe for gastrointestinal doom. And sure, alcohol does kill some germs, but do you really want to rely on tequila as your disinfectant?

What’s the proper way to store ice for drinks?

Here’s your party-saving protocol from Goss: Bring a separate cooler just for drink ice and label it clearly. Then use a scoop or tongs for transferring ice. Keep the ice cooler covered and in the shade. Refill as needed.

“Check the cooler after two hours and then hourly to see if you need more ice,” Strayer says.

Skip the drain unless necessary. “That icy bath can actually help keep things cold for a while,” Littley says. Only drain it if the water’s warm and the ice is basically soup.

That said, Strayer points out that separate drink ice may be unnecessary, especially if everything is in a can and you’re not offering mixed drinks—after all, the drinks are already chilled from being kept in an ice-filled cooler. “Bringing ice just to put inside drinks requires extra ice, cups and time,” he says. You would have more waste to throw away and/or recycle.

Ice or no ice, at the end of the day, remember that your guests came to the party to have a good time and enjoy your company, not for a gastrointestinal adventure, Goss says. “A good host thinks ahead and anticipates what their guests will need,” she says, adding that in this case, a separate cooler just for clean drink ice isn’t overkill—it’s party etiquette 101. Trust us, no one wants their margarita garnished with backwash and raw-chicken runoff.

About the expertsJan Goss is an expert in hospitality etiquette and the founder of Show Up Well consulting, providing training in all areas of etiquette. She is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington, D.C. and focuses on a common sense approach that blends etiquette with kindness. She is the author of Protocol Power.Brian Strayer is the director of catering and catering operations for Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Inc., a chain with 86 restaurants throughout the U.S. He has worked in catering for nearly a decade.Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with 40-plus years of experience in restaurant kitchens and now shares his culinary expertise on his site Ask Chef Dennis.

Sources:

• Jan Goss, CEO and founder of Show Up Well consulting and author of Protocol Power; phone interview, July 2, 2025
• Brian Strayer, director of catering and catering operations for Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Inc.; phone interview, July 1, 2025
• Dennis Littley, classically trained chef and founder of Ask Chef Dennis; email interview, July 2, 2025
• Microorganisms: “State of the Art in Hygienic Quality of Food Ice Worldwide: A Ten-Year Review”