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Recipe for an old-fashioned egg cream or “fizzy iced chocolate”, the perfect cold beverage on a hot summer day. Made with fruit-sweetened chocolate syrup for a naturally low-carb treat.
So there I was, standing in line at the grocery store.
Ho-hum.
The elderly gentleman in front of me was obviously bored with the long line too. After a few minutes, he turned around and began to eye my shopping cart.
There wasn’t much to see as I don’t buy a whole lot at the grocery store. There was a bag of organic Fuji apples, sparkling water, and several bags of Epsom salts.
Yes, just about one of the most boring shopping carts you’ve ever laid eyes on.
This gentleman fixes his gaze on the sparkling water bottles and starts telling me a story about when he was a child in Queens, New York, and this yummy drink he and his brothers made out of club soda.
Curious, I asked him what kind of a drink he made.
What is Fizzy Iced Chocolate?
With a twinkle in his eye, he told me that they mixed club soda, milk, and chocolate syrup and that it tasted so great on a hot summer day. He went on to describe how quality food was hard to come by, and this drink made the milk stretch a bit further during the Depression.
Even more curious as this beverage did not sound particularly yummy to me, I asked how much club soda and milk were used.
He said the drink was mostly club soda with just a bit of milk and chocolate syrup.
He assured me that my kids would love it and that I should try it.
Later that day, I made some exactly as described and gave some to my boys to try. They loved it and agreed it was very refreshing in the summer heat.
We decided to name it fizzy iced chocolate. In other areas of the country, it is apparently known simply as “egg cream”.
I recommend using homemade fruit-sweetened chocolate syrup for this recipe. If you decide to buy, it is best to choose organic. This avoids the GMO white beet sugar in conventional brands (labeled as “sugar”).
This is a fun choice to make if you are out of homemade kombucha tea or other types of cultured beverages and want something bubbly and flavorful to enjoy.
Traditional Egg Cream Recipe (with nondairy option)
This recipe for an old-fashined egg cream, or fizzy iced chocolate, is the perfect refresher in hot weather.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (177 ml) sparkling spring water or plain seltzer
- 2 ounces (59 ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp chocolate syrup
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients together in a large glass.
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Stir and serve very cold. Add ice if desired.
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Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any!).
Recipe Notes
Substitute store bought or homemade coconut milk for dairy milk for a nondairy egg cream if desired.
Yay! I love New York chocolate egg creams – that’s what they are called, but no egg. ALL of the old school delis sell this, like Katz’ Delicatessen and Carnegie Deli, etc. I love ordering them when I go to NYC.
Sarah, what brand of seltzer water do you buy? Are they all created equally?
A lot of great folks in that era!
Sounds yummy for Florida summers. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve always known it as a Chocolate egg cream.
Thanks for sharing Sarah I’m gonna try this too…with a healthy coffee added. Yum! or Tea! Yum! the possibilities!
=) we bought an old-fashioned ice cream vending booth last year that we set up at local events. We added ice cream floats and old-fashioned sodas (made from seltzer water we make in a seltzer bottle). My husband found a recipe for a Boston Egg Cream soda which is exactly what this is. I came across recipes for Italian sodas that are similar (seltzer and milk), just different flavors. We added those to the menu, too!
That looks like an egg cream!
Those are now generally called Italian Iced Sodas. They’re awesome.
Since I am new to the Tampa area, and don’t really know anyone yet, I have become one of those people who will start chatting with people in lines. I’m glad you spoke with him. A lot of the time, people just stare at me for a moment and then look away. I get comments from the check out folks about “only buying healthy stuff” at the store and no coupons. I’ll have to make some homemade chocolate syrup and give this a try!