Oh, egg creams. I love them for two reasons: 1) They’re delicious, and 2) they contain neither eggs nor cream, which makes them a true enigma. If they weren’t already a quintessential New York THING by way of, you know, geography, this fact would make them so. (I actually hosted a make-your-own egg cream party back in 2019 because I simply don’t get out enough love them so.)
It has, admittedly, taken me a very long time to perfect my personal egg cream technique. But in my defense, that’s mainly for lack of trying. I don’t drink these frothy, old-timey drinks very frequently (which is a good thing, because I’m pretty sure the daily/yearly recommended intake of U-Bet syrup is no U-Bet syrup). A lot of time elapsed between this most recent egg cream and the egg cream before that.
In any event, I think I’ve got it now! (I also think that’s not the first time I’ve linked over to a scene from My Fair Lady, which tells you just about everything you need to know about me as a person.)
But before we get to the actual recipe, some FAQ:
What is an egg cream made of?
An egg cream is made of chocolate syrup (of the U-Bet variety), seltzer (of the highly-carbonated variety), and milk (of the freezing cold variety). And all of those parentheticals are actually very important. But that’s about it! As far as supplies go, you’ll need a tall, transparent glass, a long metal spoon, and plenty of dish towels to wipe up the inevitable bubbly mess. Trust me on that one.
Why do they call it an egg cream?
After quite a bit of Googling around, I feel pretty confident telling you…that nobody knows. The origins of the term are murky and even a little controversial, but one prevailing theory is that “egg cream” is a mispronunciation of the Yiddish words for “pure sweetness.” The jury (my Yiddish-speaking dad) is out on that one. There’s also a theory that because “Grade A” milk was traditionally used in the drink, a drink by the name of “‘A’ cream” eventually morphed into “egg cream.” And then there’s yet another story about a 19th-century Yiddish theater star by the name of Boris Thomashefsky who came to New York and asked for a lost-in-translation “chocolate et creme.” Your guess is as good as mine.
What does egg cream taste like?
Like a very thin, fizzy, watered-down milkshake. But it tastes good, so I suppose that’s not really the best description. It’s more like a watered-down, carbonated hot chocolate. Except it’s cold.
Listen. You’re just gonna have to try it yourself. The recipe follows:
Classic New York Egg Cream
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 egg cream
Description
A fizzy, old-timey drink that will transport you back to the heyday of New York City. And actually quench your thirst!
Ingredients
- Fox’s U-Bet Chocolate Syrup
- Very cold milk (skim milk is fine)
- Ice-cold seltzer water, unopened and highly carbonated
Supplies
- A tall glass
- A long metal spoon
- A straw (optional)
- A dish towel or paper towels, to clean the glass (optional but highly recommended!)
Instructions
- Just before you’re ready to make and serve the egg cream, place your empty glass into your kitchen sink (or anywhere you don’t mind getting a little messy!). Make sure your spoon is nearby.
- Pour about an inch-and-a-half of chocolate syrup into the bottom of the glass (this is an art, not a science!). Follow with a little more than 1/4 cup of milk.
- (Read steps 3 and 4 before proceeding, because you’ll have to move quickly!) Finally, uncap the seltzer bottle and upturn it over the drink so that it comes gushing forth like a mini soda fountain. It’s going to start to get messy—that’s how you know you’re doing it right!
- Immediately after you pour the seltzer, begin the stirring process—but note that there’s no actual stirring. Instead, “chop” rapidly at the bottom of the glass, making up and down motions and trying not to disturb the foamy head of the drink. You want to end up with a chocolatey bottom and “clean” white head. (Some claim the top of the drink should actually be chocolatey, too; I prefer it this way with the clean delineation.)
- The foam will quickly disappear, so pop in your straw and enjoy immediately!
Thanks for sharing this egg ice cream recipe.
There was also just the ‘chocolate soda’ (.5) but got me growing up. It was just a
(.2 plain)
Just seltzer
I was a ‘soda jerk’ 1950-1958 on the corner.
“ Moishy’s Candy Store”
Only Italian kid in the neighborhood! I made.25 a day. SOMETIMES Moish would let me keep SOME of top I got!♂️
★★★★★
Must try if you haven’t!
Refreshing!
Easy to make!
Festive!
★★★★★
it is called an Egg Cream because the Yiddish and or German for ” real ” is ECKT, or a spelling similar.
Amazing! I have been craving this for a very long time. 🙂
Veselka restaurant style, video on YouTube if anyone wants a visual of this “how to make the perfect egg cream”
Grew up on the stuff. Raised in lower east side of Manhattan and went to school in Brooklyn, the best of both worlds for sure. Egg cream was the best from a soda fountain from the local deli.
★★★★★
Really good.
I have started making myself orange egg creams, trying to fool myself into thinking that it’s much healthier than a soda. Hahahahaha. But it IS more delicious-that’s for sure! If anybody is interested: about 1.5 inches orange juice-not from concentrate is best, about 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 T vanilla syrup, and top it off with seltzer. To me, it tastes like a light, refreshing creamsicle 🙂
Didn’t know about these till “My Two Dads”tv show very late 80s. Good, if kinda silly show. The characters always talked about and drank them in the diner at the lobby of their (NYC) building. Chuck Lorre was on the staff of the show. Having graduated HS in ‘ 88, they looked just like we did. Always wanted to try the egg creme, now I will. Thanks!
My aunt Minnie would treat me to an egg cream when I would visit her. She lived in the Bronx. I was in Mt Vernon. It was always so special to go to the ice cream parlor with her and get an egg cream. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★