If you can taste the ice cubes in your drink, there's probably something wrong with them.

Dubai is gonna make for some very striking ruins in a few decades...

You think reducing carbon emissions is about 'owning' some group of people?

If you're an establishment selling to wealthy consumers, which is the market in the kind of places they're targeting, then your clientele does respond to kind of outrageous gimmicks like this. They're seeking novelty and pedigree. Then it comes down to: if you can entice customers to pay some X up charge, pay Y for the ice, and X > Y, then it's worth it for everyone involved to ship that stuff around.

i'm sure the drinks menus will prominently market and upsell it as a luxury you pay even more for