How to Mix Fountain Drinks
Many would agree that modern soda pop can't compare to the fountain drinks sold for most of the Twentieth Century. Most fountains closed by the 1970's although a few coffee shops and old fashioned burger stands still make them. Fountain drinks mix syrup and soda and ice cream. Make one yourself to see what the fuss is about. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Flavored syrup
- Carbonated or effervescent water
- Ice cream
- Large glass (sixteen ounces)
- Soda straw
- Iced-tea spoon
Instructions
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Pour flavored syrup into a large glass. Favorite flavors include chocolate, vanilla, cherry and pineapple.
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Mix soda with the syrup. Stir as you pour. A traditional fountain drink will use carbonated water, but many people use cola, lemon-lime and even root beer to enhance the flavor.
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Add additional syrup or soda to taste. The more often you make fountain drinks, the more you will get the proportions right the first time.
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Drop a scoop of ice-cream gently into the mix. You don't want to splash the soda over the side. Ideally you will see bubbles and even foam as the soda and ice cream mix.
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Top your drink. Whipped cream and candy sprinkles are popular. They add calories, but if you're counting calories you probably don't want a fountain drink.
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Don't forget your straw and iced tea spoon. You will need them to stir your drink and get every last drop from the bottom.
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Look for recipes on the web. You can make fountain drinks into a number of wild concoctions, including Black and Brown cows (root beer), Hobokens (pineapple) and Boston Coolers (ginger ale).
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Tips & Warnings
Phosphates (or egg creams) use milk instead of ice cream. More soda makes the drink bubble and fizz more. More milk makes the drink richer and creamier.
Enhance your fountain drink with seltzer water instead of carbonated water. You can make your seltzer water with tap water and a carbonated charger tablet. Use a seltzer bottle to remove some of the guess work. Seltzer bottles to squirt the soda straight into the glass, making your drink fizz even more.
To make the experience more authentic you might want to buy authentic soda fountain accessories. Basic accessories include fluted or paneled glasses, frosted mugs, long handled soda spoons and colored straws. If you really want to stock your fountain, keep malted milk powder, straw dispensers, aprons and soda jerk caps on hand.
For a turn-of-the-century fountain experience, add caffeine. Many early fountain drinks were caffeinated and sold as headache cures. Unfortunately, many of them also included cocaine, which is an experience you can't reproduce legally in the U.S.
