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Bar made of ice blocks lets New Yorkers beats the heat at 23 degrees Fahrenheit

  • Last Updated: 6:35 AM, July 5, 2013
  • Posted: 12:34 AM, July 5, 2013

No need to order a cold one here!

A new Midtown “ice bar” is offering New Yorkers a break from the summer heat— and a chance to chill at a hot spot where the walls, tables and glasses are made of ice.

Minus5 Ice Bar — which opens at the Hilton on Sixth Avenue at West 53rd Street on Monday — is kept at an invigorating 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

“This is the only bar in New York where your beer gets colder as you drink it,” said Noel Bowman, director of operations.

Bar patrons pay a $20 to $45 cover and are given cold-weather gear in a room-temperature lobby.

ON THE ROCKS: Coats are provided for the frosty, um, foxy people at Midtown’s new Minus5 bar, made of huge ice blocks (below).
Photos: Zandy Mangold
ON THE ROCKS: Coats are provided for the frosty, um, foxy people at Midtown’s new Minus5 bar, made of huge ice blocks (below).

Staffers then usher revelers into a 38-degree chamber — which helps ease the transition. Finally, customers are led into an insulated bar that’s 23 degrees — or minus-5 Celsius — and is built with roughly 400 blocks of ice, each about 300 pounds.

Bartenders there serve vodka-based concoctions along with alcohol-free “mocktails” on a solid-ice bar.

About 50 people can fit inside the bar, which is chilled using high-tech machinery Bowman claims is on par cost-wise with what an average restaurant pays in utilities.

Benches are covered in fur for comfort, and walls are adorned with New York City-centric art, including a frosty spin on the Statue of Liberty. Bartenders wear parkas to stay warm, Bowman said.

The bar’s signature ice glasses are made in Las Vegas, which is home to Minus5 branches at the Mandalay Bay and Monte Carlo casinos.

The concept was created in New Zealand in 1999 by Craig Ling, who owned a Russian vodka bar with an interior made of ice. He soon built an entire frozen bar, and Minus5 spread first to Australia and then to Las Vegas.

Drinkers can stay as long as they wish, but might seek warmer environs after an hour or so.

Bowman said he doesn’t expect to lose business in the winter — partly because folks in the Big Apple will already be dressed in winter gear and ready to go.

Admission plus a regular parka and gloves costs $20; admission plus a brown faux fur will run $45. For $95, a visitor can opt for the VIP package, which includes the faux fur as well as a cocktail, fur hat and a souvenir photo.

Customers can also bring their own winter gear.

reed.tucker@nypost.com

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