An egg cream does not contain eggs or cream, just three basic ingredients... but an authentic New York egg cream must use Fox’s U-Bet!
Herman Fox, the Jewish grandfather of the present owner, founded a chocolate syrup company in New York sometime before the First World War. After the war, he decided to go to Texas and drill for oil. Down in Texas, the oilmen would say, “You bet,” as a friendly way to talk to people. When the grandfather returned from Texas, he said, “I came back broke but with a good name for the syrup.”
This is the ultimate in a satisfying, thirst-quenching, flavorful, fizzy drink.
Classic New York Egg Cream:
- Measure the syrup and milk into a 10-ounce tall glass.
- Place a long, iced tea or soup spoon in the glass. Do not stir.
- Pour the seltzer into the glass, stirring only at the bottom of the glass to mix the milk and syrup. The seltzer will blend in, and a creamy foam will form on the top. If you want, a little more seltzer can be added.
Homemade Chocolate Syrup:
Yield: 1 cup of syrup
- Whisk the cocoa, sugar, and salt together in a 1½-quart saucepan. Add the water slowly to the pan as you whisk to dissolve the sugar and cocoa and to prevent lumps.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium.
- Simmer for three minutes, stirring occasionally with the whisk. The mixture should be slightly reduced and appear thicker.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Pour into a clean jar, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Unless the child is two or under, have the child hold the glass in one hand and the long spoon in another while an adult adds the seltzer. This helps develop gross motor coordination.
- Seltzer has no added salt (club soda does) and will create a bigger foam head on your glass.
Kitchen Conversations
Look at a picture of an old seltzer bottle. Have you ever seen one? Has your grandparent or parent ever seen one? Talk about the foods that were easily available fifty years ago that are rare to find now.
