What makes an egg cream different from other soda fountain drinks?
An egg cream has no egg and no cream. It is whole milk, flavored syrup (usually chocolate) and seltzer, stirred until it makes a foamy white head. Unlike a chocolate soda it contains milk, and unlike an ice cream soda it contains no ice cream.
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In this article
What is an egg cream?
An egg cream is a New York soda fountain drink made from three things: cold whole milk, flavored syrup (chocolate is the classic) and seltzer. Despite the name it contains no eggs and no cream. The result is a thin, fizzy, chocolate-milk-flavored drink with a tall foam on top.
How is it different from other soda fountain drinks?
| Drink | Main parts | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Egg cream | Milk, syrup, seltzer | Light, fizzy, big foam head |
| Chocolate soda | Syrup and seltzer (no milk) | Sharp fizz, no milk body |
| Ice cream soda | Ice cream, syrup or flavoring, carbonated water | Thick, creamy, melts into the drink |
| Milkshake | Ice cream and milk, blended | Thick, no fizz |
So the egg cream sits between a plain soda and a shake: milk gives body, seltzer gives the lift, and there is no ice cream to melt and turn it heavy.
How do you make one?
- Chill a tall glass and pour in about 1.5 to 2 inches of cold whole milk.
- Aim a strong stream of seltzer at a spoon in the glass until the foam rises near the top.
- Add syrup (to taste) and stir briskly from the bottom with the spoon.
Drink it right away; the foam collapses within minutes. Fresh, very fizzy seltzer gives more foam than flat seltzer.
Brooklyn or Bronx style?
Fans argue about mixing order. Adding seltzer before the syrup gives a white head (the Brooklyn way). Adding it after the syrup gives a brown head (the Bronx way), according to The Art of Manliness.
Where does the name come from?
Nobody knows for sure. One story says a Yiddish actor asked for a “chocolat et creme” and it sounded like “egg cream”. Another is that the foam looks like beaten egg whites. One account says the earliest versions did contain cream and eggs, but that is disputed. Brooklyn is the place most often linked to it.
Good to know
- Use cold milk and cold seltzer for the best foam.
- Seltzer is plain carbonated water; club soda usually has added minerals and tonic water is flavored, so they change the taste.
- It is a sweet drink, so check the syrup label for sugar.
People also ask
Does an egg cream contain eggs?
No. A standard egg cream has milk, syrup and seltzer only. The name is a puzzle that food writers still debate.
What is the difference between an egg cream and an ice cream soda?
An ice cream soda is built on a scoop of ice cream. An egg cream uses milk instead, so it stays thin and fizzy with a foamy top.
Can I make an egg cream with club soda?
You can, but seltzer is the traditional choice because it is plain carbonated water and does not change the flavor.
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