Introduction: Egg Cream

Quick and easy way to make a New York Egg Cream and bring a little bit of Brooklyn home! 

The iconic New York egg cream is a drink that is considered wildly difficult to bottle. Over time the seltzer loses it's fizz becoming flat and separates from the milk, which is neither refreshing or appetizing. Consequently, egg creams are usually only found in fountain shops, delis, and old drug stores.....until now. For the East Coasters looking to take a sip down memory lane, or the rest of the world looking to dive into a delicious and refreshing drink this Instructable is for you. 

Sweet chocolate, cold milk, and full of bubbles, the egg cream has me hooked! Follow these easy steps and you just might be too.

Step 1: Materials

You'll need the following:
  • Whole Milk*
  • Seltzer Water
  • Chocolate Syrup**
  • Cold and Frosty Glass (8oz)
  • Spoon
*NOTE: Whole milk will froth and foam better than skim, 1% or 2%.

**NOTE: Traditionally, Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup was used (and still is!) to create the Egg Cream. Other chocolate syrups can be substituted. While creating this Instructable, I tried both Santa Cruz Organic Chocolate Syrup and the recommended Fox's. The Santa Cruz brand was thick and harder to mix without loosing too much of the milky foam an egg cream is known for. The Santa Cruz flavor in the finished egg cream was also lacking in comparison to the Fox's. 

Step 2: Get Frosty

This might be the simplest step, but it will vastly improve your finished egg cream. Place your glass in the freezer for a minimum of 3 minutes and up to several hours. You can do this while gathering your other ingredients. The chilled glass will keep your drink cooler and crisper longer. 

Step 3: Time for Chocolate

If you have not already done so, remove your glass from the freezer.

Add 1 inch of chocolate syrup to the bottom of your chilled glass.  

Step 4: Milk

Now it's time for the milk! The milk is what gives this frosty treat the creamy texture and flavor. As noted in step one, it's preferable to use whole milk which will froth and foam better than skim, 1% or 2% milk.

Pour 1 inch of whole milk into your glass. 

By the end of this step you should have an equal ratio of chocolate to milk. If you want your egg cream to be even creamier and richer, add more milk. If you'd like less or more chocolate, subtract and add accordingly. 

Step 5: Seltzer

Time for the bubbly! This is the step that adds the carbonation and bubbles to your egg cream. 

Pour in your seltzer water, leaving at least an inch at the top for the froth and foam as the seltzer and milk react. 

If you are lucky enough to have a pressurized cylinder and can make your own seltzer, this is the perfect opportunity. Fill your siphon bottle with fresh cold water and attach a fresh CO2 cartridge. Tilt your glass and spray an even stream of fresh seltzer into the glass. Make sure to leave room for the foamy head to form, about 1 inch. You will have a beautiful foamy chocolate head! If you'd like to avoid the brown foam head, simply combine the milk and seltzer first before adding the chocolate syrup.

Step 6: Stir to Success

Pick up that spoon and start stirring. Stir until all of your chocolate syrup has been mixed into the milk. You want to be careful not to stir too much or you will lose some of the froth and foam created by the addition of the seltzer. 

An aesthetic note: some egg cream makers will combine the milk and the seltzer first before adding the chocolate syrup to keep their foam pure and white. I've found that as long as you wait to stir until after the milk and seltzer have had time to mix and mingle, and you don't stir overaggressively, your foam head will maintain it's pristine white color without taking on too much of the chocolatey brown tinge at the top.

Step 7: Enjoy!

Kick back and enjoy your egg cream. Hopefully you've brought a little bit of Brooklyn back into your life. 


A final note on the history of the egg cream: You've gotten this far, and maybe you're asking yourself, egg? cream? What's with the name?  There are a bunch of different theories as to where the name came from. Here are a few to tide you over:
  • A mispronunciation of the French "Chocolat et crème".
  • Egg Cream evolved from using grade "A" cream as an ingredient. "A" morphed into "egg".
  • Real eggs were popular in milkshakes and other fountain drinks around the time the NY Egg Cream was invented. At the invention of the NY Egg Cream, they cut out both the eggs and cream in order to save money and potentially increase profits. 
Edible Brooklyn, NYTimes Egg Cream, and Egg Cream Wiki