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Published 2025.09.20
For a while now, I've been obsessed with traditional soda fountain drinks. Soda fountains were once an important "third space" in American culture. In the early 20th century, especially during prohibition, these establishments were commonplace and most people would have been familiar with their sugary fare. Over time, however, they disappeared, leaving behind only vague notions of their offerings with the average American, replaced in popular culture by the similar but distinct concept of the 1950s diner.
I think my interest in this stems from seeing them depicted in Nancy comics and other media contemporary to them. One drink in particular stood out to me. Nancy is always pining for a chocolate soda, but what exactly is that? I knew it wasn't just a chocolate-flavored pop, because they're always depicted as a layered, frothy, fomaing drink. This interest brought me down the path which eventually led to these two drinks becoming staple desserts in my household: the chocolate soda, and its enigmatic progenitor: the egg cream.
I can only speculate as to why some of the highlights of the soda fountain menu have fallen out of favor with the American public, but if you offer the average person today a chocolate soda, they will expect something that comes in a can. If you offer them an egg cream, you'll get a blank expression at best, or at worst, a knuckle sandwich. I acknowledge that this could be a regional difference as well; it's possible these drinks never made it big in the midwest, but my impression from old media is that at least ice cream sodas were commonplace across the country. My purpose in writing this piece is both to explain these concoctions and how to make them, and to advocate for a return of these charming treats to ice cream shop menus everywhere. I don't purport to be an expert on the history or preparation of these concoctions, but my anecdotal experience is that they are wonderful and that nobody I've asked has ever tried one.
To prepare either of today's drinks, you'll need the ingredients you see here:
A note on chocolate syrup:
I'm using Fox's U-Bet, a brand of chocolate syrup hailing from New York that claims to be the original syrup used in egg creams. Traditionalists will tell you that this syrup is strictly required, and I won't deny that it is a good chocolate syrup. However, I have not found it to be significantly dissimilar to the commonly-available name brands and store brands and getting Fox's U-Bet in Wisconsin was a slow and costly affair. I ended up purchasing a case of 6 bottles from the manufacturer which took about 4 weeks to be delivered, but you can also find individual bottles for sale with a markup by resellers in the usual large online marketplaces. If you live on the east coast, you may be able to find it in your local stores. My suggestion: don't let the brand of syrup be a barrier to trying these drinks in the first place; give it a try with what you have on hand, and if you like it, consider checking out the fan-favorite syrup.
For other accoutremonts, you will want some glasses (12 ounce), long spoons to stir, an ice cream scoop (for chocolate sodas), and ideally a kitchen scale. I'm personally using the venerable IKEA Pokal glass, perhaps the most prolific piece of glassware in the world. Traditionally, you'd use a soda fountain glass with a stainless steel holder like these (which I do not have and cannot personally endorse, just including as an example).
The recipes here are my own iteration, after some trial and error. I started with the recipe provided by Fox's U-Bet, which was a good basis but not specific in its measurements: it gives the amounts in "inches" which of course will vary on the shape of your glass. Furthermore, I find it dubious to take the chocolate syrup company at their word when they tell you how much chocolate syrup to use.
The oddly-named egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream. The story goes that this name was chosen as a clever form of false advertising; by including in its name these ingredients, which were seen as premium inclusions in the day, the consumer would be drawn to a beverage that, while in truth only comprised of the most modest components, appears to be a terrific bargain.
For an egg cream, you only need the seltzer, milk, and chocolate syrup.
Begin by taring your scale.
Measure out 40 grams of syrup.
This is what 40 grams of syrup looks like from the side in case you're not using a scale.
Tare your scale again. Measure out 60 grams of milk.
This is what 60 grams of milk looks like from the side in case you're not using a scale.
Add your soda, being careful to stop before it foams over the edge.
Give it a good stir: enough to combine the ingredients, but not so much that the soda goes flat.
This is an egg cream, with its signature layer of foam. If you'd like to make it a chocolate soda, continue on to the next recipe.
While I believe everyone should try an egg cream, if for no other reason than to gain a historical perspective, the egg cream's more advanced sibling, the chocolate soda, truly stands on its own in the world of frozen dairy desserts.
Start by performing the same steps as the egg cream above. One change you can optionally make to the egg cream: you can stir the milk and syrup together before adding the seltzer since we don't care if the foam is a distinct layer in a chocolate soda. Either way, prepare your soda base.
Then, add a scoop of ice cream
That's it. A chocolate soda is essentially an egg cream with a scoop of ice cream.
There are numerous ways you can adjust the recipe to suit your mood. Chocolate ice cream can be used if you're feeling like double chocolate. Whipped cream may be added to enhance the appearance and produce a richer, more luxurious beverage. For a true indulgence, you might even feel compelled to put a maraschino cherry on top.
One variation I've made several times and quite enjoyed is the spiced cocoa version:
To give your chocolate soda a bit of spice and excitement, mix some cinnamon and cayenne pepper in with the syrup and milk, then top with whipped cream and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.
It's understandable that the egg cream is no longer a staple drink in our time. It's hard to sell someone on the idea of mixing milk and carbonated water, and while an egg cream can be refreshing and delicious, it is perhaps not as impressive today (when we have such a variety of sugary beverages to choose from) as it was when they were first introduced. That said, I think its original purpose of emulating luxury remains an admirable quality and something that is still true today. Compared to many other desserts, an egg cream (admittedly, not health food) feels like quite a treat despite being about a fifth as many calories as—and a fraction of the cost of—an equivalently sized chocolate malt. It is a budget-concious option whether you're pinching pennies or counting calories.
Adding ice cream is what truly makes this drink stand out. The first time someone tries a chocolate soda, it inevitably invites comparison to a root beer float. Chances are it is the only other ice cream float they are familiar with. Not to disparage the beloved root beer drink, but I'm baffled that the chocolate soda wasn't the ice cream float to survive into the 21st century. Perhaps it has to do with the slightly increased complexity of making the chocolate soda, or the existence of A&W fast food restaurants keeping the root beer float alive, but regardless of the reason, the chocolate soda has sadly fallen into obscurity while its root beer cousin has managed to avoid that fate. Ice cream floats are a unique part of the dessert ecosystem, blurring the line between liquid and solid, mixing creamy and fizzy textures together to produce a treat that is dynamic, interactive, and time-sensitive. They invite you to develop your own approach to how to eat them: do you try to stir the ice cream in to get a homogenous creamy drink? Do you use a straw? Do you use a spoon? Do you use both, alternating sips and spoonfuls? It's a dessert that invites you to engage with it rather than just mindlessly consuming. If you're a fan of that type of drink, do yourself a favor and try a chocolate soda. You might find this forgotten classic to be a new favorite like I did.