March 15 was National Egg Cream Day, and to mark the occasion, the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum in Cypress Hills hosted its first-ever National Egg Cream Invitational — a competition featuring the best in soda fountains from New York City to Philadelphia.
Contrary to its name, the frothy combo of milk, chilled seltzer, and chocolate syrup doesn’t contain a trace of egg —unless it’s from Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia, but more about that later.
One thing is for sure, though: The egg cream has New York City roots.
The drink dates back to the 1890s, when it became a staple of the Big Apple soda fountain scene. But, historians are split on whether the egg cream hails from Manhattan’s Lower East Side or if it’s Brooklyn’s “official elixir,” as former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz once called it.
Its name is said by some to come from the Eastern European Jewish immigrants in New York City at the time of its invention — a variation of the Yiddish word, “echt keem” which translates to “pure sweetness.” Others say it’s “Brooklyn speak” for “a cream,” and some believe the drink gets its name from its frothy, egg-like top.
Barry Joseph, author of “Seltzertopia” and founder and co-curator of the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum, told Brooklyn Paper that as the premiere seltzer institution, he felt it was the museum’s responsibility to teach New Yorkers about the historical impact of seltzer and the egg cream.
“Doing an event like this where we can bring together local businesses — some that are a few years old, some that are almost a century year old — to come and share the role they’ve played in continuing this important cultural tradition is part of our job as a cultural and educational institution in New York City,” Joseph said.
Vying for the top prize — the coveted Golden Siphon — were three teams from Brooklyn: Gina Giasullo and Pete Freeman with Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, John Grogan with…
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