When I was a young man, no bigger than this A chocolate egg cream was not to be missed Some u-bet's chocolate syrup, seltzer water mixed with milk You stir it up into a heady fro, tasted just like silk You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream Now you can go to junior's, dave's on canal street And I think there's ken's in boston There must be something in l.a. But becky's on kings highway, was the egg cream of choice And if you don't believe me, go ask any of the boys You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream -Lou Reed, "Egg Cream"

Have you heard of the Egg Cream---aka the New York Egg Cream, and often argued to be properly known as the Brooklyn Egg Cream---a frothy, chocolaty fountain beverage, before? Chances are, if you have no familial link to New York or some parts of the Northeastern United States, you may not have. Ask any New Yorker over the age of 50 about egg creams and you're likely to get a lot of sighs, smiles and nostalgic stories about back in the day. New Yorkers are fiercely proud of their egg creams. They are extremely serious about the beverage's history (It's from Manhattan! No, its from Brooklyn!), which corner store or diner used to serve the most delicious one and how they should be made. New Yorkers will often bemoan the fact that they can no longer find egg creams throughout the five boroughs. Back in the day, the egg cream was more popular than the iPhone---and had more street-cred. And then, with the demise of soda fountains in the late 1960s, the Egg Cream started to lose its popularity, and almost disappeared from its former haunts. Today, it is slowly making a bit of a comeback, but like mustaches and the hand-jive, its magic may never be fully rekindled.

Having a grandfather from Brooklyn, a grandmother and father from Long Island, and living in Brooklyn myself for almost seven years, this post was an extremely gratifying one to research and write. I have been hearing about egg creams since I was born: so many of my Dad's tall tales of childhood escapades somehow started with "Me, Frankie Wizz and Bobby da Greek were sippin' an egg cream, when all of a sudden..." It makes me think that they drank one virtually every day! These stories always make them smile and say something like, "Ahhhhh, an Egg Cream," as if the memory alone brings such pleasure and happiness. But, until recently, I had never tasted one. Like many others, I believed the drink contained, as its the name suggests, eggs and cream, but, in fact, it contains neither. So why is it called an Egg Cream? The reasons and its origins are very fuzzy. To relate all the various stories I have read during my research would make your head spin. Some believe it was invented on the Lower East Side of New York City by Jewish store owners, though Brooklynites refuse to believe it wasn't invented by Jewish store owners on the Brooklyn side of the East River. One far-fetched version suggests that the name is a corruption of a popular French drink the "chocolate et creme" (pronounce it phonetically a few times...). According to many, the New York Egg Cream is made with vanilla syrup and the Brooklyn Egg Cream always contains chocolate syrup, though some people say it's the reverse. One thing almost all New Yorkers can agree on is that a traditional Egg Cream must contain Fox's u-bet chocolate syrup. Fox's claim their syrup has been making the city's finest Egg Creams since 1904, and it still is today. Most New Yorkers can find Fox's at their local supermarket, but everyone else who can't, can mail order it direct from the Fox's website. Although there aren't as many Egg Creams to be found around New York City as there used to be, they are there if you're willing to look. This website lists a few places that still sell them, and if you're in Brooklyn, you can sit at the counter, and order a slice of cheesecake and an Egg Cream at the world famous Juniors. But, if aren't in the neighborhood, and you're dying to try one at home, fear not, it's super easy. As mentioned earlier, New Yorkers are fiercely passionate about making Egg Creams the right way. That means you should only use ice cold whole milk, Fox's u-bet syrup, a chilled Coca-Cola glass and cold seltzer made only with Brooklyn water and poured out of a pressurized cylinder seltzer bottle to get the thickest, largest 'head' possible. Well, while we had everything else, we didn't have access to a soda/seltzer bottle and it still came out pretty darn well. The Egg Cream is not going to please everyone. If you are expecting a thick, creamy milkshake, the Egg Cream may not totally hit the spot. It may feel a bit thin and weirdly bubbly in your mouth, but that's what is so great about it. It's the type of drink you could have a few of without feeling like your pants needed to be taken out a few inches. I also believe part of the charm of the Egg Cream is in its history, in its story and the stories told by generations of New Yorkers. For this reason, I hope you'll try yourself an Egg Cream and tell a friend about one. You'll make many New Yorkers proud.

TRADITIONAL BROOKLYN EGG CREAM (serves 1)

• 1 long spoon
• 2-3oz cold, whole milk
• brand new bottle of cold seltzer (unopened until ready to pour)
• chocolate syrup (preferably u-bet brand)
• 1 chilled glass (soda fountain glass preferably)

1. Add about an inch or so of chocolate syrup to the bottom of the class (about 3-4 tablespoons).
2. Next, add about 1 to 2 inches of ice-cold milk.
3. Now, the hard part. Open up the seltzer and quickly start pouring the seltzer into the glass. Do NOT stir the chocolate yet. Try to kind of bounce the spoon up and down very quickly in the milk. This will cause the chocolate to mix in without disturbing the head that is forming from the selzer and the milk. Drink immediately (before the head goes down!) with a long straw and enjoy with fond memories of the Fifties, even if you're far too young to remember them.

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