Soda Fountain Recipes

Soda fountains, initially found in drugstores, evolved from pharmacists using carbonated water for medicinal purposes to becoming social hubs for flavored, sweetened beverages and treats like ice cream sodas and sundaes. This evolution transformed drugstores into community centers and spurred the creation of popular soft drinks like Coca-Cola. Soda Shops were common from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century, often inside a drugstore, candy store or other business, where a soda jerk served carbonated beverages and ice cream. The soda jerk's fountain generally dispensed only unflavored carbonated water, to which various syrups were added by hand.

Early scientists tried to create effervescent waters to replicate the bottled spa waters that were believed to have curative powers at the time. It was believed that these bottled spa waters from mineral springs had therapeutic properties, and that bathing in or drinking the water could help treat many common ailments. Thus, the soda fountain evolved which dispensed the seltzer. Seltzer, or carbonated water, was the fundamental component of soda fountain drinks.

Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Sodas - made with carbonated water

Early soda fountain sodas, were made with seltzer (carbonated water) as the base. The process involved combining a flavored syrup with seltzer at the soda fountain, often by hand using a soda siphon or other dispensing device. This practice was common for many soda fountain drinks, including cola. It was served cold with no ice (as soft drinks usually were back in the heyday of soda fountains).

The soda fountain soda is simple and easy to make. It is composed of syrup and seltzer (which is just carbonated water from a soda siphon, seltzer bottle, bottles from the grocery store). Some of the most popular flavors are cola, cherry, chocolate, root beer and strawberry. Put 2 oz of syrup in a glass, top with 10 oz carbonated water, add ice, and you have a 12 oz old fashioned soda fountain soda.

Cola Sodas

Traditional flavors of soda fountain colas are cherry, chocolate and vanilla. They would put a shot of John Pemberton's Coca Cola syrup with a shot of flavored syrup added (vanilla was popular) and top it off with seltzer water. It’s hard to replicate the experience without the real fountain syrups, but you can use canned coke today. Pour a can (12oz) of your favorite cola in a large glass, add 1oz of syrup (cherry, chocolate or vanilla), stir, top with ice. You have just made an Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Cola right in your own kitchen (sort of).

Mix 1/2oz each of cherry & chocolate in 12oz cola for cherry chocolate coke, cherry & vanilla makes cherry cream coke, chocolate & vanilla make chocolate cream coke.

Try other flavors and cominations.

In the early 1900s, popular soda fountain syrup flavors included a mix of fruit flavors like lemon, orange, and cherry, as well as classics like chocolate and vanilla. Phosphate sodas, particularly lemon and orange, were also very popular, offering a tart and refreshing alternative. While many flavors were made in-house or bought as syrups, brands like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Pepsi were beginning to gain traction and offer their own bottled versions. Additionally, root beer and ginger ale were common choices, with brands like Vernors emerging as early favorites.

Phosphate

For over 70 years, “phosphated soda” ruled the soda fountain, and then in the late 1930s, the Phosphate disappeared. It was originally sold as a tonic in the late 1800s. The tongue-tingling sensation and dry tart flavour make Acid Phosphate distinct, which many find appealing. It's often used to balance the sweetness of sugary beverages by lowering the pH. A Phosphate was made with fruit syrup, phosphoric acid, carbonated water, and ice, and had a tangy or sour taste. Some common flavors included lemon, orange, cherry, and egg.

The Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Phosphate is made like a soda fountain soda, 2 oz syrup plus 10 oz seltzer for a 12 oz soda. The secret ingredient is you add a couple of dashes of acid phosphate and you have the famous Soda Fountain Phosphate. The acid phosphate adds a dry tartness which enhances the other flavors.

In the early 1900s. Phosphate sodas, particularly lemon and orange, were very popular, offering a tart and refreshing alternative. These drinks, made with fruit syrup, phosphoric acid, and soda water, were a major trend.

Lime Phosphate

Place 2 Tbs. simple sugar and juice from one lime in the bottom of a soda-fountain glass, then add 2 cups club soda.

Egg Cream (chocolate syrup, milk, seltzer)

The egg cream is a New York tradition. Ironically, it doesn't have any egg or cream in it. If you look at old soda fountain and mixed drink publications from the late 1800s and early 1900s, it's not hard to find recipes for drinks called an "egg cream" that actually do contain both eggs and cream. Perhaps as variants of eggnog. As years went by, some cost-conscious soda fountains substituted cheaper milk for the more expensive cream. And by the 1940s if not sooner, even the eggs were being left out, because its fans were really more interested in the chocolate + dairy + fizz combination.

Even so, it's still a soda fountain favorite. Put 3oz of chocolate syrup (Fox's U-Bet is tradional) in a large glass. Fill half full with milk and stir. Top with seltzer from a seltzer bottle for that frothy real 'cream' head or use club soda.

Egg creams can be made with other syrups, vanilla, strawberry, as long as they would mix well with milk. Syrups with high acidity can curdle the milk, preventing them from being used in an egg cream.

Ice Cream Sodas

Old fashioned soda fountain ice cream sodas are not quite the same as floats. Ice cream sodas use syrup and seltzer (carbonated water) rather than a flavored soda. The Black & White is a good example of a soda fountain soda.

Favorite flavors for old fashioned soda fountain sodas are cola, root beer, cherry, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Of course, your favorite flavor would work fine. Put 2 oz of syrup in a large glass, fill about half full with seltzer or club soda and stir vigorously. Add 1 or 2 scoops vanilla ice cream and watch the foaming begin. If there is any room left, fill to top with seltzer for a bigger foamy head.

Strawberry Soda 1/4 cup strawberry syrup, a splash of milk, seltzer, vanilla or strawberry ice cream.

Two of the most famous old fashioned soda fountain drinks are similar to what we commonly call ice cream floats today. They are the Black Cow and Brown Cow which use flavored soda. Floats are normally vanilla ice cream and flavored soda. The Black and Brown Cow use flavored soda, but they also have chocolate syrup. The name refers to the mixture of dark soda with a white dairy item floating in it.

Black & White - 2 Tbls chocolate syrup, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, Seltzer. Pour syrup into a tall glass. Fill half full with seltzer or club soda. Stir vigorously with a long spoon. Add ice cream. It will start foaming. If there is any room left in the glass, fill to top with more seltzer.

Black Cow - uses root beer

The Black Cow is a variation on soda fountain soda. It uses root beer instead of seltzer. Put 3oz of chocolate syrup in a large glass, fill half full with root beer and stir well. Add 1 or 2 scoops vanilla ice cream. Fill with more root beer. A connoisseur's delight.

Brown Cow - uses cola instead of root beer

White Cow - substitute vanilla syrup for the chocolate and milk for the root beer or cola.

Purple Cows, grape soda or juice (with some added seltzer?) and vanilla ice cream or milk, surfaced in the 1940s.

Floats

Root Beer Floats

Fill a tall soda fountain glass 1/3 full with root beer. Add 2 scoops vanilla ice cream. Slowly pour more root beer down the side of the glass. This technique will give you more root beer and less foam in your glass. If you're all about the foamy head, pour the root beer over the ice cream. Whipped cream and a maraschino cherry are optional.

Orange Cream

Place 1 scoop sorbet and 1 scoop vanilla ice cream in a soda-fountain glass. Slowly pour in orange soda, then top with additional scoop of orange sorbet.

More Modern Version of a Float

 

Milk Shakes

Milkshakes

Shakes or milkshakes are a staple of soda fountains, malt shops and diners. The names and ingredients are a varied as the establishments that sold them. They all have these basic ingredients in common: ice cream, milk and flavoring and are blended together until thick and creamy.

Chocolate milkshake - 4 scoops chocolate ice cream, 2 ounces chocolate syrup, 1/4 cup milk. Put all the ingredients in your blender. Blend until smooth. For a thinner shake add more milk. For a thicker milk shake add more ice cream.

Strawberry Milkshake - 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, 2 ounces strawberry syrup or 1/4 cup strawberry ice cream topping or strawberry preserves, 1/4 cup milk.

Malts

A malt, malted or malted milk shake is any milkshake with malted milk powder added. Start with one tablespoon of malted milk powder for your first malt. Use more or less to suit your taste.

"Burn one" is soda jerk lingo for making a milkshake into a malt or malted with the addition of malted milk powder. Add 2 tablespoons malted milk powder to any milkshake to "burn one". In the language of the soda jerk, "burn one all the way" referred to a chocolate malted made with chocolate ice cream.

Burn One All The Way - scoops chocolate ice cream, 2 ounces chocolate syrup, 2 Tbls malted milk powder, 1/4 cup milk. Put all the ingredients in your blender. Blend until smooth. For a thinner malted add more milk. For a thicker malt add more ice cream.

Chocolate Malt - 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, 1 1/2 cups milk, 4 tbsp chocolate syrup like Hersheys, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp Malted Milk Powder. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Vanilla Malt - same ingredients minus the chocolate syrup