This past weekend marked six years of living in Chicago. Naturally, I spent the weekend in New York instead of doing Chicago-y things in the city I currently call my own. As much as I love that I call Chicago home, there are certain things that taste better in New York: pizza (I’m sorry, but it’s true), lox and bagels, Chinese food and even the iconic black and white cookie that you just don’t find anywhere else.
The other thing New York has is Vintage® Seltzer, which always had a place in the refrigerator when I was growing up in New Jersey. Made with natural flavors, no artificial flavors and no added colors or dyes, Vintage Seltzer is available in 10 flavors: Original, Lemon-Lime, Mandarin Orange, Lemon, Lime, Pomegranate, Seedless Watermelon, Raspberry, Raspberry Lime and Wild Cherry. Perfect on its own, Vintage Seltzer is also excellent in cocktails or in one of New York’s other iconic recipes: the New York Egg Cream.
I learned about egg creams at a young age, but it’s only recently that I learned about the difference between seltzer and sparkling water. Essentially, the difference amounts to the carbonation: seltzer has more of that fizzy bubble and sparkling water has a bit more flavor and less bubble. Though I also enjoy sparkling water on occasion, I’m partial to using seltzer in some of my favorite recipes.
New York Egg Creams are classic, vintage-inspired soda shop beverages that call to mind simpler times, before double whip, extra mocha, sugar-free soy lattes rose to popularity. Egg creams originated in New York and are best homemade — only a few companies have managed to figure out the trick to bottling them.
Egg creams became so popular in the 1920s that author, Elliot Willensky, wrote in his book titled When Brooklyn Was the World: 1920-1957, “a candy store minus an egg cream, in Brooklyn at least, was as difficult to conceive of as the Earth without gravity.”
Made with three ingredients, milk, flavored syrup and seltzer, egg creams are highly customizable and versatile. You can make them simply at home, with original seltzer and chocolate syrup, or you can get creative with one of these delicious combinations:
- Original + Milk Chocolate Syrup + Milk
- Lemon-Lime + Vanilla Syrup + Milk
- Mandarin Orange + Homemade Simple Syrup + Milk
- Lemon or Lime + Strawberry Syrup + Milk
- Pomegranate + Dark Chocolate Syrup + Milk
- Seedless Watermelon + Homemade Simple Syrup + Milk
- Raspberry + Milk Chocolate Syrup + Milk
- Raspberry Lime + Strawberry Syrup + Milk
- Wild Cherry + Dark Chocolate Syrup + Milk
- Whole milk
- Chocolate (or any flavor) syrup
- Vintage Seltzer (Original, or any flavor)
- Tall, chilled glass
- Divide ¼ cup of chocolate syrup and 1 cup of whole milk into two 16-ounce glasses. While beating vigorously with a fork, slowly pour Vintage Seltzer until each glass is almost full. It will get nice and frothy (though the froth at the top will subside if you don't drink your beverage right away, or if you get heavy handed with the milk). Either will still result in a fizzy, delicious beverage.
- Add a straw (optional) and serve very cold.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
2 Comments
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella)
December 2, 2015 at 6:17 amThere’s no egg in egg creams? I had no idea … These combinations sound so tasty!
Daryl
December 2, 2015 at 5:01 amLove this. Add a scoop of ice cream and you have a delicious ice cream soda!!!