For The Perfect Egg Cream, The Glass Is More Important Than You Think
As far as classic, nostalgic drinks are concerned, egg creams have earned their icon status. If you're thrown off by the name, don't worry -– it does not contain any actual eggs. In fact, the drink is similar to an Italian soda, containing seltzer and flavored syrup. Unlike Italian sodas, however, egg creams call for a very specific recipe involving milk and chocolate sauce.
It may be hard to get your hands on an authentic egg cream unless you find yourself in the New York City area –- most diners and delis outside of the Big Apple don't make a habit of offering the niche beverage. Luckily, it only takes three ingredients to recreate the iconic frothy drink, and you probably already have them in your fridge. What you may not have, however, is the glass that egg creams should be served in. Just as boozy bubbles belong in flutes and mules are best enjoyed in a copper mug, egg creams aren't the same unless you drink them from a traditional soda glass. The glass should have a wide brim that thins out towards the bottom for an easy grip and flares back out for stability and style. Many diners will carry this recognizable style of glass; it often comes with the "Coca-Cola" label etched into the side and is typically used to serve specialty drinks like milkshakes, root beer floats, and, of course, egg creams.
Without the right glass, your egg cream just won't be the same
Whether it's been years since you enjoyed an egg cream or you're looking to try it for the first time, you can definitely recreate an egg cream at home. But for the best experience, make sure you have a soda glass handy. Pouring the mixture into a plastic cup or oddly shaped glass goes against what the inventors of the egg cream intended –- and we all hope to have the most authentic experience possible (especially when it's as easy as grabbing a soda glass from the Dollar Tree).
Once you've secured the proper glass, you'll need milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup to make an authentic egg cream. Easy, right? Well... just as the specific glass changes the egg cream experience, so do the brands of ingredients you use. The New York City classic requires one ingredient that is native to the East Coast: Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup. The Brooklyn-made brand is noticeably thinner than other chocolate sauces and has a stronger "chocolatey" flavor, which is essential to a good egg cream. In addition to the special chocolate, egg creams call for whole milk to be mixed with the chocolate and seltzer mixture. Sorry to the lactose-intolerant egg cream lovers, but the beverage requires the fat content from whole milk to be properly mixed. Of course, you can attempt a non-dairy, vegan egg cream, but many recipe purists will claim it's just not the same.
New York City: birthplace of the egg cream
The egg cream first emerged during the 1890s in Brooklyn, New York. Some claim it was created by Louis Auster, a Jewish immigrant and owner of a candy shop that served customers fountain drinks and ice cream creations from a soda counter. Historians disagree on when and how exactly egg creams came to be, but there is no arguing the impact the drink had on thirsty New Yorkers during the early 1920s and 30s. The origin of the drink's name is also up for debate, but many believe it derives from a mishearing of the Yiddish word, "echt keem," which means "pure sweetness."
Not everyone is immediately intrigued by the idea of enjoying a mixture of milk and water. One TikToker shared a video recreating the iconic beverage — thankfully using the correct glass — and commenters had lots to say about the concoction. One user expressed hesitation, "I'm open minded but I'd have to see this irl before making a judgment." Another wrote, "I've had an egg cream once and I cannot get behind it." Even amongst the nay-sayers, many others expressed their love for the classic drink, recalling the nostalgia that they experienced seeing it recreated.