Egg Cream

If you’re unfamiliar with what goes into an egg cream, the name can be misleading: The classic drink contains neither egg nor cream. Most accounts attribute its invention to Louis Auster, who owned a candy shop on New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1890s. A traditional egg cream is made with just three ingredients: whole milk, seltzer water, and chocolate syrup—you can think of it as a fizzy chocolate soda. As for the name, some say it’s a mistaken translation of the Yiddish word for “authentic”; others say it’s a mistranslation of French. While we can’t confirm its origins, this bubbly, milky, chocolaty drink quickly became a staple at soda fountains, Jewish delis, and candy stores.

Create your own vintage soda shop experience at home with this simple chocolate egg cream recipe. Soda jerks traditionally use a seltzer siphon (a.k.a. carbonated water dispenser) to give the egg cream its signature foamy head. If you have a soda maker, now’s the time to break it out. You can, however, achieve a similar result using bottled seltzer or club soda. 

Some New Yorkers will tell you that the only acceptable flavoring is Fox’s U-Bet Chocolate Syrup. We’re not about to get caught up in the crosshairs of that debate, but we’d wager that a bottle of Hershey’s (or even homemade chocolate syrup) works just fine. But do seek out whole milk for this classic egg cream recipe: It’ll give your drink the silkiest, creamiest texture. Don’t want to run to the store? Just avoid low-fat alternatives and substitute something creamier, like half-and-half, instead.