An egg cream is the New York City drink made from milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup. Despite its name, the classic version contains neither eggs nor cream; its characteristic texture comes from vigorous mixing that creates a foamy head.
The drink became associated with New York soda fountains and candy stores, particularly in Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the Bronx. A traditional preparation combines chocolate syrup and milk first, then adds cold carbonated water while stirring to produce a frothy surface.
The origin of the name is disputed. Some accounts connect it to older drinks that really did contain egg or cream, while others suggest that pronunciation, marketing, or regional speech transformed an earlier name. Food historians have documented earlier “egg cream” recipes containing eggs and cream, adding to the confusion.
An egg cream is not a milkshake, because it contains no ice cream, and it is not a float, because it has no scoop of ice cream. “Malted” usually refers to a malted milkshake or malted drink, not this soda-fountain classic.