ice gun.

before this convenience-oriented thing was designed and created, crushed ice had to derive from a large block and a chisel or other primitive tool. with the ice gun, the party didn't have to wait for stone age technology to do the job. the idea is that ice cubes are inserted into the opening up top, the gun is fired, and the shards come out the bottom front opening—right into the glass.

here's a cutaway diagram showing the inner workings.

there have been variations on this thing's theme, as seen below.

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