In article , Richard J Kinch wrote:
Doug Miller writes:

No. You confuse temperature and heat. The phase change is crucial.

Well, yes, but so is lowering the temperature at which that phase
transition occurs.

The retention of melt water is a spoiler at any temperature. The product
must be in continuous, intimate thermal contact with the unmelted ice, and
the melt water rapidly drained away. This is what makes the heat transfer
fast. Undrained, the heat transfer slows down remarkably. The melt water
has no appreciable heat-sinking capacity

That's just complete nonsense -- suggest you look up, and compare, the
specific heat of water vs. specific heat of ice.

, and just interferes with the heat
leaving the beverage and flowing to the ice. And the OPs desire was for
the fastest possible chill.

Which is achieved using the fastest possible heat transfer. Again -- suggest
you investigate which is capable of absorbing, and transferring, heat at a
greater rate, ice or water.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.