Dining and Cooking
American Recipes

#72 An oral history of the NY Egg Cream and DIY soda making.



Visit our on-line candy store at http://www.pd.net
Read on for recipes and links. National Egg Cream Day March 15.
Go to http://www.ties.com and use the code LOFTY15 to save 15% on bow ties.

Greg travels to NYC to show the history of the NY Egg Cream where it was invented. He also covers how to make a good chocolate syrup, and how to use that syrup to make a great egg cream.

Cool egg cream video list.
Sesame Street https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05LPywFFosE
West Wing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V2WENk4uQE
Hey Arnold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1_3cb_Q-Uo

Bow ties by http://www.ties.com

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Greg’s list of favorite Egg Creams in NYC
Brooklyn:
Hirshels in Brooklyn,
The Brooklyn Farmacy

Manhattan
The Lexinton Avenue Candy Store
Rays candy store on Avenue A off St. Marks (go after 10pm, ray works the night shift, if there is not an old Turkish guy in the window, the egg cream will not be right)
Eisnburgs on 5th ave and 23rd st (Since 1929, also makes a good ricky)
Yonah Schimmel Knishes (Houston street, pronounced “Houstain” if you need direction. Uses bottled seltzer well.
Katz’s deli, uses soda siphons.
Gem Spa, St Marks and 2nd ave.
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Simple but great chocolate syrup
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup water
dash salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

In a pot put the water (first), sugar and salt. While whisking the solution bring to a rolling boil. Add the coco and cook 1-1.5 minutes. Let cool and add vanilla, Bottle in glass bottle, refrigerate. Make you egg cream with cold syrup.

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Chocolate Syurup by Anton Nocito
From “Make your own soda” reprinted with permission.

2 Cups Warm water
1 cups plus two tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 vanilla bean halfed
2 tablespoons chocolate husks (optional)
3 tablespoons Scharffen Berger or other high quality coco powder.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Remove the pan from heat. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan, toss in the pod, and add the chocolate husks (if using). Steep for 10 minutes.

Put the cocoa powder in a large bowl. Strain the steeped liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into the coca and whisk until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Strain the mixture again, and then let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

48 Comments

  1. Lofty Pursuits

    Added a list of videos with egg creams in them to the Description and a list of my favorite places to get an egg cream in NYC.

  2. hicamajig

    I would love to see more soda and seltzer type videos from you. Your insight and enthusiasm is so easy to watch and enjoy. Thanks for the video!

  4. Peter Sarubbi

    A true NY classic… love how you were compared to the gold standard… and of course… only u-bet…. without that it's not an egg cream… great video 😀👏👏👏💙

  5. ABC123

    I love the dedication to the history! Woulda never known marble dust, sulfuric acid, and construction led to soda becoming a big thing in NY! Thanks!

  7. Daniel Lopez

    I tried making the Surup, and found adding a teaspoon of Ground Up Kardemon made it taste more spicy and delicious almost like it came from Egypt.

  8. Jacob’s New Adventures

    Love your video, very good! I love history and old fashioned soda fountains! How does the seltzer with milk foam compare to egg whites with sugar foam?

  9. russofamerica

    I probably first heard about egg creams while reading Harriet the Spy, which I see referenced in the end of your video. I asked my pops, a former Manhattanite whose mother was a life-long deli waitress, how to make one, and he said that started with U-Bet and whole milk, but also that you had to pour the seltzer over the back of a spoon, and then you stir. I'm sure that single instruction is part of the unquantifiable magic that makes the perfect egg cream. Or not. 🙂 Fun video! Thanks for putting it together!

  11. Polack Talks

    I finally had my first egg cream at a Pharmacy today, not disappointed. Checked off a bucket-list item that you wrote for me

  13. pfloyd1116

    Love the story. Brought me back to the early days of when I was living in Brooklyn. I remember my Egg Creams.

  14. Ed Hoffman

    Living overseas and unable to visit the US for several years now; missing home and making up some egg creams for my local friends…but as cocktails- after adding the syrup, just before serving: add 1/2 shot bourbon (Gentleman Jack) and 1/2 shot Kahlua. Yum.

  16. Shorty McDuff

    So these aren't a thing in my country of New Zealand. I bounced here from How to Drink. But now I feel challenged to make one, and then to reinvent it to put my country's spin on it as often is the way here. I have some inspiration and some ideas for a couiple of veriants.

  17. Larry Lewis

    What a wonderful story. You do seem much too young to know all this. My birthday is March 16…maybe that should be national egg cream day?

  19. Cool Dude Frank

    I love that I found this, I get my car serviced at Proctor Subaru, now I have a place to treat myself to when I'm in town!

  26. Steven Lindsey

    I have a vision for a candy store with a traditional soda fountain. I want a place where people feel happy and child like for a moment of their day.

  30. daniel lack

    Sorry… Absolutely perfect head, but way too dark on the chocolate body.. needs to be just a bit more than mocha Brown

  33. Nicholas Mercorella

    Great video! Got my egg creams at Buffs Luncheonette in Richmond Hill Queens, 101st Ave. not there anymore but when I was a kid it was THE CANDY STORE

  34. Chelsea B

    Wow I've never heard of an egg cream so I just typed it in and Bam! A full history and a virtual tour on New York. Thank you!!

  45. Lin Lee

    Hello!!! NYCgirl here….Love a egg-cream🥰. Make them often for me & my kids. Passing the tradition. Happy to stumble upon your channel, just subscribed ❤🎉😂

  47. twistymcslide2

    i remember a fountain in Queens that my dad used to go too when he was younger ( 1950's-60's ) we'd always go there for egg creams , and to a middle eastern store for baklava . haven't been back since the late 1980's . bur still make my own at home. Dad would say to do it right . . . Has to be U'Bet, and has to be seltzer from a distributor with those old blue bottles with the built in metal nozzles. we're big on coke from the bottle too . and those old water chillers . Dad was originally from Sunnyside, and after college he and my mom moved up to Rockland county , just N of NYC . Then to Florida for their retirements, and passing . miss them . and NYC.

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