The management of water has become almost as crucial an environmental cause as carbon emissions or deforestation. And we’d like to think that this, and this alone, was the impetus for designing Piet Hein’s drink cooler.

Sadly, there’s no such eco-romance to be found behind the invention of this liquid-filled, stainless steel ’super egg’.

It would seem, instead, that the inventors were more concerned about the epidemic of watery drinks – the victims of fast-melting ice (or slow drinking partygoers).

It’s a novel idea, but we can see a handful of negatives that might keep us wasting more megaliters on old-fashioned ice:

• Those of us used to swilling around the icy remains of our drinks are in for a rude shock when, instead of the splish-splash of water, we’re greeted instead by a handful of broken glass, shattered by a stainless steel, egg-sized wrecking ball;
• There’s no better way to subtly point out that it’s your buddy’s shout than by chewing your ice in front of them while they continue to avoid the next trip to the bar; and
• For some of us, the melted ice in our gin is the only worthwhile hydration we get…

But this is sure to be a hit with gadget-obsessed cocktail partygoers everywhere. And those genuinely concerned by the rampant misuse of water for cooling whisky.

Drink Cooler by Piet Hein [via Luxist]