Judith Gilbert is the type of character you imagine sitting at the counter of an old-school coffee shop in a quintessential New York movie, as she slurps an egg cream through a straw. An egg what?
OK, let's get this straight. This drink, once a staple of New York's coffee shops and candy stores, doesn't contain any egg or cream. A mixture of seltzer, milk and syrup, usually chocolate or vanilla, it's unlike anything you've tasted before.
The way the editor-in-chief of Business Spotlight describes it, in her cut-straight-to-the-chase Noo Yawk accent, an egg cream is "super sweet, a little salty, and then very prickly." For her, the drink is tied in with memories of a very special coffee shop around the corner from her childhood home in Manhattan.
Neil's was an institution. For more than 80 years, the Greek-owned diner served favorites like blueberry pancakes, burgers, club sandwiches, bottomless cups of coffee, and the iconic egg creams. Closed earlier this year, its passing marks the end of an era in a city that has become hypergentrified.
From the red neon sign hanging over the door to the vinyl booths, Neil's was pure nostalgia. Judith remembers the booths and round stools along the old-fashioned counter, with its 1950s cash register and soda fountain. "It was like a living room to our family," she says.
When she was a kid, she would go there with her mom, or with friends after school. The egg cream, served in a plastic ribbed glass, would come with a long spoon to stir the syrup at the bottom. Slurping up the cool liquid with its light froth always hit the spot.
As an adult, Judith would visit whenever she got the chance. The daughter of a New York playwright, she loved the cinematic glamour of it all. The brick walls featured autographed photos of stars like Liza Minnelli and Steve Martin - both fans. Minnelli used to live nearby. Woody Allen still does.
Sometimes, film and TV crews turned up outside. Once, Judith spotted Kristin Davis and Chris Noth shooting a scene for the first Sex and the City movie. The last time Judith visited was a couple of years ago. Sitting in a booth near the back with her mom, she saw Fran Lebowitz, the author and humorous observer of New York life's absurdities - "the ultimate New Yorker," says Judith.
Neil's was the ultimate New York coffee shop, "the ultimate New York experience," says Judith. "This has nothing to do with the Statue of Liberty or Times Square."
The egg cream is a dying tradition, she says. So, next time you're in New York, be sure to track down one of the few remaining coffee shops still selling this drink. It's the true taste of the city.
Ingredients
- about ½ cup of whole milk (skim milk will not foam)
- I cup of carbonated water (not still or medium)
- 2 tbsp Hershey’s chocolate syrup
Instructions
Pour a couple of centimeters of cold milk into a tall glass. Fill the rest of the glass with carbonated water. Pour chocolate syrup into the glass. Stir vigorously with a long spoon to create a good head of white foam.