Egg Cream...

[Phantom2]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 11:21pm

Hot or not?

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 11:24pm

honey, this is New York. OF COURSE THEY"RE HOT. (Go to Empire Diner on 10th Av and 22nd if you want a REALLY great one ,btw.)

[wildcat]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:10am

SO hot. Now why do I think Carl Reiner has something to do with the creation of the egg cream?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:54am

The lost art of making egg creams...as practiced by little old men in Bronx "candy stores"...all gone now...the men and the stores...a tall glass, a bissel chocolate syrup, a long silver spoon, a touch milk, some seltzer, a long straw...a glimpse of a number tattooed on the little old man's arm.

What do you know of egg creams? What do you know of what he knew?

[wildcat]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 1:55am

On my first visit to the States when I was 15, my aunt took me for an egg cream, which is not unlike what we call a 'spider' in Australia...ice cream, flavouring, soda, long spoon...but it was also accompanied by a story about Carl Reiner which I've now forgotten. Perhaps he created a franchise in L.A. or something?

[magruder]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 3:16am

Don't forget the secret ingredient!

[Jon]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:08pm

For a little decadence, use half & half instead of milk.

I think before the Depression, they actually had a raw egg in them - hence the name.

I remember as late as the 1980's, you could get a raw egg in your Orange Julius, and most diner/soda fountains would put a raw egg in a milkshake upon request.

Nowadays, the fear of salmonella has put an end to that.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:10pm

Sounds not, in practice, hot.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:14pm

Why Do They Call it an Egg Cream?
By: Tony the Tour Guy
[e-mail]

It isn't made with eggs, or cream. This famous soda fountain concoction was a favorite for many of us, and is currently enjoying a comeback in many restaurants and diners. A mixture of milk, syrup and seltzer water, just how it got its name is one of those things nobody seems to know for sure. But recently a friend gave me a copy of the 1983 edition of NYC ACCESS, which attempts to explain the drink's origins.

According to NYCA, the original egg cream was produced in Manhattan. The syrup which was used was made with eggs, and cream was used to give it a richer taste. Later milk and regular syrup were employed, but the name was kept. However, recently I discussed the matter with a Bronx native who recalls getting a drink with the same name that had egg whites added to make it more frothy. If any of you wish to share your own experiences with this beverage, please feel free.

The egg and cream issues aside, most locals agree that traditional New York egg creams were made by placing a small amount of chocolate or vanilla syrup at the bottom of a tall glass. To this was added a few ounces of very cold milk. Just like a properly-poured pint of Guinness, there was a certain art in the preparation of a good egg cream. A good "soda jerk," as fountain counter servers were frequently called, would first inject a brief spurt of seltzer straight down into the syrup in order to cause it to mix with the milk. They would then fill it to the top by directing the stream against the side of the glass, to avoid creating too much foam.

As soda fountains and ice cream parlors disappeared, true egg creams became harder and harder to find. Some of us tried making our own, but unless you could get real seltzer water delivered to your home, the results were usually rather lame. I am happy to report, however, that more and more restaurants around town are again offering the real thing. At one place I visited the waitress actually brought the siphon bottle to our table.
Why Do They Call it an Egg Cream?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:19pm

a little bit of milk
a little bit of seltzer
U-Bet Chocolate syrup, doesn't matter how much

Comine all ingredients and then take a long spoon and stir until you feel like your arm is going to fall off.

[mominator]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 12:31pm

Egg Creams? Way hot (and yummy too!) Now where are those cookies?

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 5:38pm

Nothing like an egg cream especially on a hot day. My grandmother would make them for me as a child when we would visit her in Brooklyn. The only syrup that can be used is Fox's U Bet. The seltzer had to come from the blue bottle with the nozzle on it. I remember sitting on the steps on a summer day drinking egg creams and chatting with the neighbors.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 6:19pm

Is Egg Cream the thing they have at Katz Deli? If it is, it is HOT HOT HOT!!!!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 7:07pm

Lived in NY all my life & I have never had one

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 7:09pm

"Lived in NY all my life & I have never had one"

Where did you live Governor's Island? Was not having one a choice or did you just not ever encounter them?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 7:14pm

Lived in Astoria most of my life & now Rego Park

Guess it was a choice . Favored soda or chocolate milk or malteds

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 07:14 PM