"egg cream" news and stories

Why aren't egg creams more popular? They're easy, they're cheap and they're one of the less hazardous methods of getting one's chocolate fix (low-carb fans take note). In New York City, they're practically an official beverage, with such august practitioners as Gem Spa on Second Avenue, Ray's on Avenue A and, of course, Junior's out in Brooklyn. You can even buy an egg cream kit!

This delightful beverage is hard to find beyond Gotham, however, and the few bottled varieties out there simply don't measure up. No, best to mix it up yourself: All you need is about one-half cup of milk, a few tablespoons of chocolate syrup (many swear by Fox's U-Bet, but Hershey's will do in a pinch) and about a cup of seltzer. There is some dispute as to whether to pour the syrup or the milk into your glass first, but mix them up with a long-handled spoon, then add the seltzer straight down the middle. Other flavors can be made by changing up the syrup, although again, the purists would squawk. Don't even go into the squabbles of who invented it or how -- the only thing egg cream fans can agree upon is that we'll have another.

It doesn't seem like you can get a whole lot for 54¢, but at Barney Greengrass, on the 5th floor of Barney's in Beverly Hills, you can get a taste of nostalgia. They serve up egg creams at the shockingly low price - making them the best buy in they whole store. According to LA Ritz, who found the drink while waiting for some friends to finish shopping, they did use Hershey's syrup instead of U-Bet (the horror!), but it still could be the starting place for a new trend. Of course, if it catches on, I doubt that the price will remain so low!

[Image from LA Ritz, via The Food Section]

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