It’s that time of the year again folks — Passover season approaches, and with that comes the annual stocking of the KFP U-Bet. I’ve ressurected this post from last year so you can get the jump on it early. I’ve sighted the KFP U-Bet in stores at various Passover aisles already, so make sure you buy yourself a bottle or two!
— Jason
(Originally posted on March 26, 2006)
Those of you who didn’t grow up Jewish in the New York Metropolitan area probably don’t fully appreciate the simple pleasure that is an Egg Cream.
I don’t drink Egg Creams all that often, and the primary reason why I don’t is because in order to do it correctly, you need an ingredient that is only available for a few weeks per year — Kosher For Passover Fox’s U-Bet Chocolate Syrup. Why specifically Kosher for Passover and not the regular Fox’s U-Bet that’s made in Brooklyn year round? Well, like many products which have gone the way of modernized manufacturing methods in the food and beverage industry, regular ‘ol U-Bet is made with High Fructose Corn Syrup. The original Fox’s U-Bet, which was made with refined sugar, is only made during Passover. So stock up, like I did this year. How can you be sure you’re getting the genuine item? Well examine closely:
The main part of the bottle has no distinguishing characteristics. But look at the cap:
U-Bet you can make a real New York Egg Cream? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” for more.
See? Rabbi Solomon B. Shapiro from Queens says its okay for official Egg Cream consumption. Lets get to work. Assemble your ingredients:
Egg Creams are extremely simple in their construction, but there’s a lot of ways you can go wrong here. First, use real, whole milk, none of that skim or fat-free stuff. You also want a cold bottle of SELTZER, not Perrier, or Pellegrino, or some fizzy Euro acqua minerale. Not club soda, either, because that contains salt. Just plain cold carbonated water. If you’re lucky enough to have a CO2 charged seltzer bottle, even better, but supermarket-bought seltzer is fine, just fine.
Fox’s U-Bet is my preferred chocolate syrup, because it’s the original and its from New York. However, if you are unable to procure actual Kosher For Passover Fox’s U-Bet, go with another Jewish/Kosher brand of chocolate syrup from your supermarkets Passover display, like Gefen, Blooms, Mishpacha, Bosco, or Manischewitz. DEFINITELY NOT HERSHEY or NESTLE QUIK. The key is to get one that is made with actual sugar and not HFCS, hence the Passover aisle. U-Bet itself comes in several flavors besides chocolate during Passover — I happen to be partial to their vanilla for making Vanilla Egg Creams and for Cream Sodas, Vanilla Cokes and for Ice Cream Sodas, but I digress.
Okay, enough ranting. Get yourself a couple of tall 12oz glasses (you’re going to make one for your loved one or your best buddy too, right?) and chill them in the freezer for a few minutes. This is absolutely essential because you don’t want a warm or a room temperature glass to screw up your egg cream. Your seltzer should be cold, as should your bottle of KFP syrup, and obviously your whole milk. Once your glasses are chilled, squeeze about a half an inch (a finger) of syrup into the glass, like so:
Next, pour in about twice as much milk, about an inch:
Then pour in the cold seltzer, about 8 to 10 ounces, until you get a nice head at the top:
Then quickly mix up the syrup from the bottom with a long spoon:
You now have the perfect egg cream. Drink, repeat as necessary.
Off The Broiler 
Hey Jason –
that is exactly how my dad made them. BUT, Ari from Zingerman’s claims that you should first mix the seltzer with the chocolate and THEN add the milk. At first I thought he was crazy, but it yields a beautiful head.
Try it…. (my dad refuses)
Jason, you speak the truth. However, I’m going to have to give your recipe a shot. My dad was all about the 1/2″ of U-Bet, but half a glass of milk and then the seltzer.
Still, this takes me back to when we went to Lundy’s off of Atlantic Avenue and had the most fantastic egg creams that were stirred with a pretzel stick. That’s the REAL key. ^_^
Jason, you’re dead right about the KFP U-Bet, but you’ve constructed a Jersey egg cream.
The chocolate syrup should go in LAST for a clean, white, dense head.
For shame!
BOOKLYN
No way, Booklyn! These are the exact instructions from U-Bet’s web site!
Cool, I got here in time for the fight. You east-coasters are so much fun when it gets to the truly sacred stuff: egg creams, pizza, bagels. LOL
I’m reminded of how far away from a city I am by my saying out loud, “kosher aisle? kosher AISLE!”
Ok, so I guess my father’s been pulling my leg all these years when he said a “real” egg cream actually has egg in it? He claims he used to love them but no one uses the egg anymore. Then again, he hasn’t watched baseball since the Brooklyn Dodgers left, too…
Thanks for a wonderful trip down my memories’ lane … and who cares what goes in first or last or in the middle? So long as it makes you belch and wipe the excess foam off your lip!!
Have to agree with Booklyn here…chocolate has to be LAST so that the head remins white. Milk then seltzer creates a great white head, then stirring the chocolate in from the bottom is important so as to not discolor the froth!
Daniel
Hmmm, my first thought was “Ugh, watery milk!”, but it’s actually rather similar to a drink both my brother and my grandad are partial too – the Brown Cow. I’m not sure of ‘proper’ ratios, but essentially it’s milk mixed with Coke. Ever tried it?
Cheers
Soo…What’s the best place in Manhattan to get an egg cream?
Signed, Soon to be tourist Lou Reed fan who has never had an egg cream but who can’t wait to experience the chocolatey frothy goodness described here.
Yo, Jason. No offense to the nice marketing people who maintain the corporate web site, but an egg cream with a brown head was a shonde in any self-respecting post-war (WWII) Brooklyn candy store or luncheonette.
I used to get egg creams at the soda fountain in Pearson’s Drug Store in Iowa City back in the late ’80s, early ’90s. Of course, they didn’t use U-Bet; just the standard chocolate soda fountain syrup.
But here’s the thing: You had to be careful which waitress you had make it. One of them thought that a raw egg was supposed to be one of the ingredients! Gross!!
Egg creams rock!
I am an edit on wikiHow, and found this article suggested by someone, but badly in need of an actual Brooklyn born person, who had practially been weaned on egg creams, to write it and do it justice. I decided to save it,wrote the article and it became a part of the collaborative efforts of many. O want to share it with all of your readers and yourself.
My article, How to make a New York Egg Cream, has been chosen to be featured as an example of wikiHow’s best work! On Friday, May 19th, this article will be displayed on the home page and on the RSS feed, and highlighted on the Google “How-to of the Day.”
http://www.google.com/ig?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GAPB,GAPB:2005-09,GAPB:en&hl=en
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-New-York-Egg-Cream
I have opened up a discussion on this article, on the discussion page and look forward to memories of the ‘good ole days of the Egg Cream. I also welcome thoughts left on my talk page or email, on wikiHow…
Being so far from newyork, it’s tough to get a good ‘cream. i’m also having trouble finding real co2 charged seltzer bottles. all of my favorite deli’s and butcher shops dont have it, and no one seems to know where to locate them. i dont want the kits to fill my ow bottles… for that much work the store bought ones work fine, but, i know somewhere out there there’s a bottle of seltzer with my name on it. anyone have suggestions?
This is Great, I Love Egg Creams, however, I always got Vanilla Egg Creams growing up because I’m Allergic to chocolate. Any recommendations on what type or how much Vanilla to use?
I’ve been making egg creams for over 30 years. When it comes the best recipe, it’s all a matter of taste and individual preferences. Many years ago, as a high school student at James Monroe HS in the Bronx, I worked at the local candy store and made about a hundred or more egg creams within my shift. I made them to everyone’s taste, less milk, more milk, less syrup, etc., boils down to a mater of taste!
I made them at work then and make them at home today. I’ve used bottle seltzer and CO 2 bottles. While I prefer the CO2 for taste, it takes too long for the best results (the seltzer tastes better the next day) so, I mainly use the seltzer from the bottle because I can have my favorite drink that same day and not have to wait until the next day J
What happened to the traditional pouring of the seltzer over the spoon for a nice foamy head!??!?
You’ve all got it wrong. The critical thing is to add the seltzer and milk first, stir to mix it up, then carefully drizzle the U-Bet(TM) through the foamy head (making as little disruption of the foam as possible), then stir. This gives you WHITE foam on top and carbonated chocolatized milk underneath the white foam. The classic egg cream has white foam on the top, meaning no U-Bet has “tainted” the head.
Nice one.. i come from Spain.. i did not even know this drink existed.. Now im gonna buy all the ingredients. ( i hope i find them here.. or similar) and make myself a nice egg-cream!!
NYJoojooby is right. The pure white head is a must. One small tip: Pour the chocolate syrup through the white head in one small spot, i.e., after pouring, there should be a small “dot” of syrup on the head. Then, put your spoon directly through the syrup dot. The spoon will drag the syrup dot through the head for a truly pristine white head. BTW, the original egg cream contained a raw egg and cream instead of milk. Try using half-and-half for a super creamy white head.
As a New Yorker in exile in Seattle, this truly was an inexpensive trip home for me. Thank you!
You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find kosher food here, much less kosher for Passover chocolate syrup. I’ll have to have one of my friends send me a supply of U-bet next time Passover rolls around.
Nice site. Thank to work…
Great post.
I don’t know what you guys are talking about, putting the chocolate in last. You put it in second, but you do *not* stir until you put the seltzer. Then when you add the seltzer you have to be careful not to stir up the chocolate until you form the head. This produces an unpierced chocolate-free head that cannot be replicated. When I was 10 we had a competition in my house because my stepfather insisted it was chocolate, milk, then seltzer, and my mom who was into the stupid chocolate-last thing. I won. Try it. It takes a fine touch, but I have converted every person I’ve ever met. They all agree, mine’s the best. Now I’m in California :( But I have ubet in my fridge…
Great work on the instructions – but I agree with those calling for the white head!!!
To Sarah in Seattle… you need to get around more!
If your local grocer doesn’t have a kosher section, you just need to go to check out different neighborhoods! Check out grocers in Seward Park or on Mercer Island. There is kosher food all over the Seattle area (but, of course, not like NY) – I ate at a pure kosher (and vegetarian) Indian restaurant just last night!
A Challenge, A Challenge :)
I got out my cocktail shaker, put in some ice cubes. Added cream, an egg, and chocolate. Then I shook the bejaysus out of it. Well, if I am using an egg and cream, Jesus certainly has a place in this. :) Then I added carbonated water.
I may be on to something here.
Don’t worry, I won’t call this an egg cream.
With regards,
Ted
I want to cast my lot squarely among the chocolate-first crowd: the pure, white head is critical, not only for the flavor contrast it creates with the chocolate/milk/soda below, but for the aesthetic contrast it gives to the drink. That lovely white froth, sitting gently atop the milk-chocolatey lower part, is nearly as satisfying as the divine nectar itself!
Having grown up in the 1950s – 1960s Lower East Side of NYC, I can tell you there wasn’t a single soda jerk around who would make the drink any other way!
Does anyone from the Bronx remember Diamond Brand Chocolate Syrup? U-Bet is good, but it can’t compare to Diamond? Does anyone still make it?
Abe:
Did you ever find out whether Diamond Brand chocolate syrup is still sold?
David
My grandfather owned Diamond Brand. They went out of business a long time ago.
I always stir the chocolate and the milk together first so I don’t have to stir the seltzer and lose the fizz.
This site is fantastic. I’m making my first egg creams this Sunday for my birthday. Being stuck in the Midwest all my liefe I’ve never even had an egg cream before. But I’ve got all the proper ingredients ( I actually found the kosher Fox’s-U-Bet; I can’t believe it.) and I’m rarin’ to go. Thanks for the incredibly detailed instructions!
I’m a Brooklyn-born former resident of Queens and I’ve been drinking egg creams my whole life. In my opinion, there are two methods which can be considered “authentic” depending on whether you’re from the city or the boroughs. In either case, ice-cold whole milk, Fox’s U-Bet and seltzer from a siphon (not bottled ready-made seltzer) are essential.
1. Brooklyn method: Add milk to the 16-oz. glass and drop in a long-handled spoon. Spritz in the seltzer to create a foamy head that reaches the top of the glass (sometimes OVER the top of the glass!). Pour in the syrup–dead center, NOT along the side of the glass–and stir using a “paddling” motion, keeping the spoon at the bottom of the glass. It’s important that you do NOT mix the chocolate up into the foamy white head; the head should contain no trace of chocolate except for a little “dot” where the syrup was poured in. The syrup is heavier than the milk and seltzer and will go directly to the bottom of the glass. The web link above features a handful of photos I took that illustrate the process.
2. Lower East Side method: Add milk, then the spoon, then pour the syrup right into the center of the milk. As before, it’ll go straight to the bottom of the glass, leaving little or no trace in the milk. THEN spritz in the seltzer and stir as above. This is the method that is used to this day at Gem Spa, and–according to accounts from former soda jerks who worked there–the beloved but now defunct Dave’s Luncheonette. The Indian dudes who work at Gem Spa stir the egg cream with unusual vigor–almost too much stirring, it would seem. But I won’t argue with their technique because it produces a good product.
Proportions vary depending on personal preference. But in a 16-oz. glass, I generally use about 5 oz. of milk and 3 or 4 tablespoons of syrup.
Either method, done correctly, produces a good egg cream. In my opinion, method #1 produces a slightly superior head. But method #2 is easier and tends to be less messy. Try ’em both!
OK I’ve read all of the posts now let me put in my “2 cents plain”–but first, my stats: Born in Brooklyn 1952–made my first egg cream working in my uncle’s candy store in Flushing NY at age 5–worked a soda fountain in NJ for 2 years (14-16).
Culinary Institute of America grad 1974. I have made a thousand egg creams or more (and probably drank half of them–lol). The prettier looking egg cream is made with the milk and seltzer gently mixed first followed by the U-Bet drizzled carefully through the center. This is then gently but thoroughly mixed from the bottom. This produces the pure white head and chocolate underneath that has the look of a picture perfect egg cream. The drawback is that the pure white head on top is virtually tasteless. The other method (mixing the milk and U-Bet first and then drizzling the seltzer off of the back of the spoon tilted toward and touching the side of the glass) produces an egg cream that is not as pretty (because the foam is chocolate colored) but which is tasty down to the last drop of foam. Ultimatey, the choice comes down to the aesthetic perfection of the former as compared to the “good to the last drop—even the foam” of the latter. Each one has its advantages and they are both great in their own way.
Drinkem up!!
so i guess all the purists here aren’t going to like this, but i have a different egg cream recipe that i definitely prefer. i grew up in jersey and my mom always made them for me at home using the traditional recipe, except she used hersey’s syrup. but now i like to make it with just regular hershey’s syrup, SOY or RICE milk, and seltzer. on top of that, i put the syrup in first, then the milk- and stir it up really well. then i add the seltzer, because just as the last post (dave) said, the chocolate fuzz tastes way better then the white fuzz (which tastes like nothing to me).
i guess perhaps some would say this is not a true eg cream- but as far as i am concerned it still has syrup, milk, & seltzer- so what else could it be? and boy oh boy is it yummy!! i’ve even made my soymilk version for my mom- who normally doesn’t drink soymilk- and she liked it.
perhaps this will give some hope to those who have trouble finding the other ingredients- no need to worry so much–it will still have that increadibly tasty and thirst quenching goodness that I always loved about egg creams!!
I’ve made a couple of eggcreams using soy milk. The result was pretty decent, although I still prefer the “real thing” made with whole cow’s milk.
Thank You for all the detailed information, I totally appricate all the picture attachments, since I mainly learn by visual. I can’t seem to find a recioe for Vanilla Egg Cremes – coule you please HELP! My husband & I just opened up a little Ice cream store & I truely think these drinks would be a total blessing.
Thank You again, Lyn
Lynn: A Vanilla Egg Cream is the same as a Chocoalate Egg Cream, but instead of using the Chocolate U-Bet, it uses the Vanilla U-Bet or any other brand of Vanilla syrup, which is normally used to make Cream Sodas or Vanilla Cokes.
I am the pastrami king of seattle and own Roxy’s Diner in Fremont. I am about to add egg creams to my menu and found your site to be incredibly helpful. I used to have a shop in Brooklyn, Peter’s Ice Cream Parlor and Coffee House on Atlantic Ave. We always added the chocolate syrup last because the pure white foam was considered essential, but I think a little chocolate in the foam would taste better. So I’ll try both ways and see which one flies in Seattle.
Thanks.
Almost a decade later, but having had my first egg cream ever yesterday at Roxy’s I want to thank you for adding it to the menu. I was blown away and I will definitely be back.
Hey Peter………….as a New Yorker now living on Mercer Island I will be at Roxy’s to try that egg cream! Next week I will be at Juniors in Times Square or at their Grand Central location because they have the biggest sized egg creams I’ve ever had in NYC.
Does anyone know if there are any companies in the New York City area that deliver (and exchange) charged seltzer bottles? I’m interested for a an upscale soda fountain concept I’m working on for Brooklyn. I know I could go the route of using bottles that take the CO2 cartridges, but I know there’s a delivery service in the San Francisco area and was hoping there’s one here as well.
thanks
What is the significance of Sugar vs HFCS?
The HFCS version won’t produce a decent result?
Has anyone tried it?
It will produce a halfway decent result. HFCS just doesn’t taste as good as cane sugar.
I used to buy my Egg Cream for 0.50 at the Rexall Drug on the corner of Boston Road and Fish Ave in the North Bronx in the late 60’s early 70’s. My God, 0h do I miss those days…
Anyone remember the name?
I tried adding some of these to mine and it wasnt the greatest. I will try again!
I simply wont cook one more meal until my kids visit. I have tried these nice things but in the time it takes me i would rather have some family over to enjoy it with now. I am getting older and the time it takes me to prepare I dont like eating by myself
Reading through all the posts, this former luncheonette soda-jerk is more delighted by the common remembrances of fountain egg creams!!
I was taught & still use the 1-finger each chocolate & milk & then add seltzer regimen. Only one post mentions that it’s VITAL to pour the seltzer over a spoon with this quicker, but more delicate method. When putting the chocolate in first, a vigorous stir after adding the seltzer will give as pure a “white-head” as the chocolate dot method.
It’s a matter of pride and expertise that the foam should “bulge” at the rim of the glass, but DEFINITELY not spill over the rim of the glass, anymore than a bartender should make a drink that spills over.
Hershey’s is just as good as the non-Passover U-Bet, and a LOT cheaper, but the cane sugar U-Bet is definitely the gold standard. Ditto on ice cold whole milk and seltzer. Remember, on the fountain, the syrup was warm, and “pumped” into the glass. The chocolate-first method is much faster- important for restaurants- but not for the homemade versions. At home, we grew up on delivered seltzer bottles (Go Astoria!!), but modern times make it virtually impossible to get it anymore.
Great to see all these memories- remember though- don’t use a “greasy spoon.” As a kid, I could never figure out where the Greasy Spoon Diner was, except that it was in Flushing, right near the el and the fairgrounds. It’s probably a Starbucks now!!
As a Bronx boychik who grew up in a candy store, I can swear that without Diamond brand syrup you can never completely re-create the taste of a classic New York egg cream. Did it with bottled U-Bet and seltzer, from the bottle or the tap, hundreds of times when I had too and it was never the same as Diamond. Same Hershey’s.
I couldn’t agree more. One of the most pleasurable memories of my childhood was going to Sam’s candy store and having a chocolate egg cream. I can still remember, even after fifty years, the big glass bottle with the diamond logo on it. I treat myself to an egg cream almost everyday, and with it I have a few pretzel rods (Rold Gold) But what I wouldn’t give to have Diamond brand chocolate when making the drink, although the U-bet is still pretty close.
You’re right on the money.
Have you any idea whether we can still buy Diamond Brand?
David
I’ve had good luck swapping out half the milk for Bailey’s. Not geuine, but a nice result all the same.
It’s important to add at least the milk before the syrup because it helps keep the syrup from sticking to the glass, thus allowing a lot less stirring to get it blended and making for a cleaner looking glass while protecting your foamy head.
I am in the pristine white head group. It provides a lighter flavor contrast to the richer drink underneath, like a nice cappuccino. Therefore it’s critical to drink without a straw.
However, one experimental egg cream I am working on to address the problem of the tasteless (to some people) white head. Add a few drops of vanilla extract or vanilla syrup to the milk and mix that up before adding anything else. Black & White Egg Cream!
If you haven’t got a proper seltzer bottle, then buy a few cans of seltzer rather than a 1 or 2 liter bottle, and refrigerate before use. Plastic bottles of seltzer lose their fizz too easily, even unopened, you might get one good egg cream and then the rest will be wasted. A can of seltzer will make two glasses so you can share with a friend or be forced to drink a second one yourself (what a sacrifice!). The remaining cans will keep until needed.
I have found that you must first mix together the syrup and the milk, because once you put in the seltzer and THEN stir, you flatten out the seltzer MUCH faster, thus ruining the overall effect of the drink. Mix first, then slowly, lovingly, tenderly pour in the seltzer (along the SIDE of the glass, by the way!)
Do you think I don’t get out quite enough? Hmm… probably right.
This is a wonderful thread.
I grew up on E. 73rd St. in Manhattan, back in the 1950s, and there was a candy store on the southwest corner of 1st Ave & 73rd that made the planet’s best egg creams and malteds. The name escapes me, and also escapes a high-school buddy who I just called, but the place is long gone.
Their method was to put a little bit of vanilla syrup into the cup (they used paper cones set into reusable metal bases), then the milk, then the seltzer, and finally the chocolate syrup, stirring at the end. It was delicious, and I haven’t had anything as good since (I moved away from the neighborhood in 1954), although I can make a drink nearly as good today.
In the Sixties I lived in the East Village, and occasionally had Gem’s Spa’s egg creams, although I preferred their cherry-lime rickeys. Back then, their egg creams were decent, though not world-beating.
In 1966, I moved to the west coast, and forgot about things like egg creams, good bread, good bagels, etc. Later, in visiting The City, I would have a Gem’s Spa egg cream now and then, but have found them mediocre; not as good as 40 years ago, but still better than being thirsty on a hot day.
On trips to NY, I have gotten better ones on a deli in the 90’s just east of Broadway, and, two weeks ago, an even better one at a Greek luncheonette in Astoria under the 31st St. el at the 30th Ave. station.
Since returning to California from my latest trip, I’ve started making egg creams at home, with good results.
My method:
First a bit of vanilla syrup, maybe 1/4″ to 1/2″ in the bottom of the glass. Then about 2″ or 2 1/2″ of whole milk.
Then seltzer to the top pf the glass, or a little short of that.
Finally, a couple or thee squirts of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, stirring briefly and briskly with a long spoon. (Hershey’s tastes just fine to me, maybe because the vanilla syrup (Torani brand, made in San Francisco and normally used for coffee drinks,) uses 100% cane sugar.
Today, I experimented with cream soda instead of the vanilla syrup and seltzer, to see if that would flavor the head of foam while still remaining white, and also for the convenience of having 12-oz. portions rather than a large seltzer bottle that goes flat over time. The color was good, but the taste was a little off — I may have been a little light on the choco syrup. I’ll continue playing with the proportions until I hit it right, or convince myself that it won’t work.
It’s been great reading all the observations, memories, and theological decrees regarding egg creams. I’m convinced that, even though they are harder to find, good egg creams (unlike good bagels) are not extinct yet.
I’m very late to the party but, of course, I have an opinion on the subject. My dad had a candy/stationery/cigar store back in the late ’40s and most of the ’50s on Rogers Ave. and St. John’s place in Brooklyn. I had plenty of opportunity to watch how it’s done by someone who made a living satisfying eggcream customers all day.
Forget that stuff about pouring the chocolate syrup carefully through a white head of milk foam. In a real, working soda fountain, the various syrups were in tilted, stainless dispensers with pumps in their covers. The whole idea was speed. My dad wasn’t futzing around squeezing a stream of U-Bet in the exact center of a glass. He splashed about 2-3 inches of milk into the glass and quickly gave it four or five hard pumps of the chocolate syrup. He then stuck a long spoon into the glass, set it under the soda dispenser and filled the glass. Then he gave it several vigorous stirs to mix in the chocolate and served.
I also have to disagree with the idea that supermarket bottled seltzer is just as good as real seltzer from a CO2 syphon. It’s not bad, mind you, but the carbonation isn’t as robust.
Thanks for a trip down Memory Lane.
Oh well.. everyone does it differently. Being an engineer, I tend to describe things with a precision that’s not always necessary ;) Believe me, when I make an eggcream, I’m doing it fast and not measuring out the ingredients. I’ve done it enough times that I don’t need to.
The two methods I use are based on the way I’ve seen soda fountain pros do it. The way your Pop did it sounds like how they do it at Gem Spa: milk, then syrup, then seltzer, and stir.
Since I bought my siphon a few years back, it’s the only thing I use. Store-bought seltzer will work in a pinch but a siphon is really the best way to go.
Earlier, someone mentioned adding a little vanilla syrup first, then milk and so on. This sounds like a good idea; it would give the foamy head some sweetness without ruining the color. I’m gonna give it a try.
How many calories in an egg cream?
brooklyn girl i lived a few blocks south of you,the other side of empire blvd.pigtown section.
maybe we crossed paths in the savoy,the kameo or the rogers.im 54 years old.
my egg cream is vanilla.
syrup first,then milk,then seltzer.stir it up.insert a straw.the foam at the top is so thick,the straw stands straight up,in the glass,without falling to a side.
a question.
the u bet chocolate label says to refrigerate after opening.
when i do that the syrup becomes thickened,and as a result,it becomes harder to disolve in the drink.
i dont make chocolate egg creams,but i do make chocolate sodas.
the candy stores never refrigerated the syrups,as you mentioned they were stored in stainless pump containers behind the counter.
perhaps todays chocolate syrup is a slightly differant mix from years ago.
do you refrigerate the chocolate syrup or not?
I know that question wasn’t addressed to me, but… I don’t refrigerate my U-Bet. Then again, I use it up pretty quickly (within a month).
My memories were egg creams at a candy store on Grant St. in Williamsburg.
Tried a place near Penn station last year and was appalled-they may have been a Russian coffee shop near Pennand Broadway…they made it like choocolate milk.
My Brooklyn born aunt always told me the BEST egg cream is in a paper cone cup!
A rare site these days.
In LA I found ARTS DELI as #1 and Jerrys deli #2.
Will now need to find the Kosher UBET…
Also used to hear New Jersey had their own chocolate syrup they used to use-maybe Diamond or Edwards?(not sure of name, but haven’t found where to try it)…no egg..the point was according to the history..the egg illusion was from the white foam.
LET ME INFORM EVERYONE THAT THE FIRST….YUP THE REAL AND ONLY FIRST EGGCREAM WAS MANUACTURED IN OZONE PARK QUEENS…BELIEVE IT OR NOT! THERE WAS A CANDY STORE IN THAT AREA RIGHT UNDER THE BOYD AVE. TRAIN STOP HAT ALWAYS CLAIMED TO BE THE ONLY AND ONLY PERSON THAT EVER MADE EGGCREAMS. IT WAS CALLED ….NORDS CANDY STORE …WITH ALL THE ITEMS THAT ANY CHILD OR ADULT EVER THOUGHT OF. HE ALSO MADE HIS WHIPCREAM AND SERVED IT ON SAT.NIGHTS TO A CROWD OF HIGHSCHOOL KIDS I REMEMBER BECAUSE I WAS THERE….AND INFACT, NO ONE EVER HEARD OF HIS INVENTION UNTILL WORD GOT AROUND. ALSO DIAGNOLLY ACROSS FROM HNIS STORE WAS THE FAMOUS BAR CALLED…TUTTIES….THAT ALSO IS NOT THERE ANY MORE.
Success! Found the KOSHER FOX SYRUP…this must be an ‘insider only’ tip that you need to use the KOSHER one for an wuthentic drink…as on both bottles of syrup it says MAY CONTAIN FRUCTOSE OR CANE SUGAR!
They are not telling if the KOSHER is all cane sugar, so I’m taking your word.
I know I find some sodas that are using cane sugar-like Jones or mexican Coka Cola, but do not care for the latter as I became weened off soda….but those were the days….time to go make one and enjoy!
Gregin:
FOX’s is -always- Kosher. What you want is “Kosher for Passover” as in the closeup photo shown above.
Yep, it IS the Kosher for Passover..noticed when poured after chilling it is still liquid, not so clumpy..
I do taste the difference and bought 3 bottles for the off season.
Best egg creams are made thusly:
1) Milk, no more than a couple ounces. Too much milk will reduce the head.
2) Seltzer, preferably from a gun, or from a fountain until the head reaches nearly the top of the glass; Using a can of seltzer, it works best if you pour from a foot or so above the glass for extra frothiness
3) Chocolate, added last to keep the head milky white
4) A long spoon, angled as sharply as possible from the rim on one side to the bottom of the glass on the other.
5) Rapid motions UP AND DOWN (no swirling or stirring) maintaining the angle while you turn the glass slowly spin the glass until all the chocolate in the bottom of the glass is incorporated.
6) More seltzer until the head again reaches the top of the glass.
This should produce a egg cream with a dramatic contrast between the dark body and the white head. It should also produce a head of two inches or more.
this stuff is fucking good…………………………..
[…] to heading out we passed a NY Deli next to the hotel and I spotted the big sign that said they had egg creams. Those who know what egg creams are know how yummy they are. Residents of Californa […]
So, I had my dream egg cream with the Passover/Kosher FOX’s UBet and milk and seltzer.
I went back looking for that syrup-made without the fructose , but it won’t be out again until next time…HOWEVER at the Jewish market I go to, I found a brand of syrup Made in Secaucus, NJ(GMB Enterprises)..called The Mishpacha made with Cocoa and cane sugar Syrup
Anyone know if this is as good…it sure tastes the same..
Others told me they had egg creams in NJ and they use another brand (other than Fox’s) and I am curious WHAT BRAND they use get NJ’s people addicted?- For some reason I thought it was a brand called DAVID’s.
Thanks for looking into it
I was at a restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach the other day, and I spotted “San Francisco Style Egg Cream” on the menu. Apparently it contains both chocolate and hazelnut syrup. I tried it and needless to say, it was actually very delicious. It tasted like a cross between a Ferrero Rocher truffle, and a regular Chocolate Egg Cream. Has anyone encountered any other Egg Cream variations like these?
[…] https://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/a-new-york-egg-cream-primer/ […]
Great “debate” over how to make the best egg creams. Cool to see. I probably had one once or twice a week whenI lived in the lower east side during college,
Whether you are a proponent of 1. syrup, 2. milk, 3. seltzer or 1. seltzer, 2. milk, 3.syrup I think one thing it bears to repeat is the temperature of the ingredients. The deli that had the best egg cream was the one that kept the container of milk right on the border of freezing so it often had tiny flakes of crystals. The guy making it would have to shake the carton to break it up.
As noted above, having the syrup at room temp definitely helps
Guess I had the best I could make so far.
Have found a ‘bottled’ product that has gone through some changes over the years called JEFF’S CHOCOALTE EGG CREAM or Chocolate soda.
Hard to find but in L.A. can get it at BEVERAGES AND MORE stores. Unlike old milk type based chocolate drinks or from the 70’s CHOCOLA or CHOCOLATE SOLDIER on the East coast, this has a bubbly taste and if I can’t make my own, I buy one of these..but it goes so darn fast at $1.59 a bottle!
Tempted to buy a case discounted but cheaper to make the YOUBET any other time.
the best egg creams in the early ’60s lower east side were made by max and fay loft on 2 ave &3st and by saul and leo’s candy store on 1st ave and 1st st.
I’ve been trying the syrup through the foam approach recently with less than satisfactory results (main problem being that the head disappears too quickly after adding syrup and stirring). Today I followed the instructions on the Fox’s bottle: milk first, then syrup, then seltzer, stir and voila! A dense brown milky chocolate concoction with a thick, frothy, creamy snow white head resting on top. This whole idea of the chocolate syrup coloring the head is baloney – if that was the case the head on a pint of Guinness stout would be dark brown as well, or the head on a beer would be have a yellowish to amber tint instead of being white.
well I’ve read through all these posts twice, and believe I have gleaned the best info. for the egg cream to please me. I definitely care more ab. flavor than color re: the foam, so I will follow the U-bet recipe. Syrup, then milk. Then I will follow advice found here and stir a little, so as not to have to stir too much later and cut the foam too much. I will leave the spoon in the glass, then add the seltzer down the side, and stir again. To start I will refrigerate everything, including the glass and spoon, but not the syrup.
My problem later is going to be ratios and stirring – I’m making a giant egg cream in a 20-cup glass for my son’s 11th birthday…any advice?!!
Hey it’s me again! I just checked and the glass holds 14 cups….. I’ll use a golf club to stir lol. On the back of the u-bet, 1 finger or 1/2 inch of choc. turned out to be 2 oz. in a normal sized glass, and an inch of milk was 4 ounces…then the guy said 8-10 oz seltzer. So that should be fairly easy, I’ll figure out ab. how much seltzer first, then back up from there to put half as much milk as seltzer and half as much syrup as milk….right? Math is not my forte!
the candy store in my neighborhood put a spoon under the seltzer pour more drink less head
My father had a luncheonette for 25 years & I made egg creams for 23 of those years. First you put the milk in, then you add the seltzer, (the seltzer has to be very cold) then you add the u-bet. It makes a beautiful white head, the way an egg cream is supposed to look & taste.