Photo by Robb Long

The Ice Chamber at The Chamber's Hotel.

By Sarah McKenzie

Drinks are always better on ice, so why not the bar?

The Chamber's Ice Chamber on Hennepin ais one of the hottest cold spots in town.

The ice bar in the hotel's courtyard is situated next to a sleek fire pit. So if you get chilled sipping one of the bar's fancy martinis, you can cozy up to the pit's flames and warm your hands.

The bartenders at the Ice Chamber are clad in all white with puffy North Face jackets, mini skirts and furry hats. They serve up all sorts of decadent cocktails, all featuring Grey Goose Vodka. There's a white chocolate martini, a classic martini and many more.

The ice bar features 60 blocks of ice, some weighing as much as 300 pounds.

The Ice Chamber is open Tuesday–Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. It opened mid-December and will remain open until sometime in March (weather permitting).

The roughly 200-square-foot ice bar is kept cool with dry ice in a white tent.

In its second year of operation, the outdoor ice bar is one of a few ice bars in the country, and the only one in Minnesota. It's inspired by the Absolut Ice Bar in Stockholm, a major tourist attraction, regarded as one of the most beautiful bars in the world.

Besides the ice bar, the Chambers courtyard is home to other interesting attractions, including a 1,750-pound sculpture of a gorilla with a missing arm. The piece was made by Angus Fairhurst, an artist who is part of the Young British Artist movement.

All told, the Chambers has more than 200 pieces of artwork on display.