Monday, January 14, 2008

When Brooklyn Was the World

Born of the soda fountain era, the legendary Egg Cream is deceptive, for its flavor and texture depend entirely on the correct preparation. There is no egg in an Egg Cream, but if the ingredients are mixed properly, a foamy, egg-white-like head tops the drink. The invention of the Egg Cream is credited to Louis Auster, a Brooklyn candy shop owner in 1890. Auster's concoction sold for three cents, and he sold as many as three thousand on a hot summer day. Lines would form down the street and around the corner, and it started a tradition of drinking the egg cream while standing -- never sitting. Egg creams were so popular in Brooklyn that author Elliot Willensky writes "a candy store minus an Egg Cream, in Brooklyn at least, was as difficult to conceive of as the Earth without gravity."

The Complete Brooklyn Egg Cream Kit
This frothy wine of our youth can still be found in New York City, especially in Brooklyn's neighborhood delis and soda fountains. But outside New York they are nearly impossible to find, so we have happily assembled all the supplies and equipment you need to make and serve genuine Egg Creams at home. A glass, not a paper cup, and ice-cold milk are basic to the success of an honest Egg Cream, and Fox's U-Bet Syrup is considered an essential ingredient in the mix. The one and only, genuine, original Brooklyn Egg Cream Kit includes: 2 dispensers of Fox's U-Bet Fountain Syrup (one chocolate and one vanilla), 2 Official Junior's Egg Cream Recipe Glasses, 2 Stainless-Steel Mixing Spoons, and Brooklyn Egg Cream Kit "Owner's Manual."

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