The Soda Fountain: Floats, Sundaes, Egg Creams & More--Stories and Flavors of an American Original

364 Pages·2014·7.62 MB·English

by  Gia Giasullo

Copyright © 2014 by Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, Inc.
Photographs copyright © 2014 by Michael Harlan Turkell
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division
of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Giasullo, Gia.
The soda fountain : floats, sundaes, egg creams & more—stories & flavors of an American original / Gia
Giasullo and Peter Freeman ; with Elizabeth Kiem and Nelle Gretzinger ; photography by Michael Harlan
Turkell. — First edition.
pages cm
Recipes and stories from Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, Brooklyn, New York.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Desserts. 2. Bars (Drinking establishments)—United 5tates—History. 3. Brooklyn
Farmacy & Soda Fountain (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 4. Drugstores—United States—History. I. Freeman, Peter
(Chef) II. Title.
TX773.G435 2014
641.86—dc23
2013048561
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-484-9
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774485-6
v3.1
Dedicated to M. and
A. Stein

CONTENTS
FROM OUR COUNTER TO YOURS
THE STORIES
CHAPTER ONE: The Soda Fountain Comes from Rx
CHAPTER TWO: A Golden Age
CHAPTER THREE: Prohibition and the Jazz Age Fountain
CHAPTER FOUR: Stars and Stripes (and Soda) Forever
CHAPTER FIVE: A Revival at 513 Henry Street
THE RECIPES
CHAPTER SIX: Getting Started
CHAPTER SEVEN: Syrups & Sodas
CHAPTER EIGHT: Floats
CHAPTER NINE: Egg Creams
CHAPTER TEN: Sundaes
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Milkshakes
CHAPTER TWELVE: Toppings
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Baked Goods
RESOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE TEAM
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX

FROM OUR COUNTER TO YOURS
We didn’t invent the soda fountain; we just welcomed it into the twenty-first
century with love and reverence.
When Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain opened its doors in the summer of
2010, our lines were out the door. Almost a century after the fountain’s glory
days, it appeared that folks were still thirsty for those countertop classics—the
sundae, the soda, and the ice cream float.
Our customers came from down the street, from out of town, and some-times
straight from the airport. And the busier we got, the clearer it became that we had
not opened a new place. We had opened an old place.
The soda fountain reigned supreme for over one hundred years, touching the
lives of three generations of Americans. We know this because we meet people
every day who stop in for more than an afternoon treat. They visit because their
grandfather owned a pharmacy, their uncle was a “soda jerk,” or their parents’
first kiss was over a shared malt. They recognize the counter as the place where
the Depression was easier to endure and Main Street was more fun. More
importantly, they see a place where socializing is done in real time and where
kids are more engrossed in our counter than in their electronic devices. They
know a good tradition when they see one.
We suspect that you might be holding this book for the same reason. So here is
our contribution to a great American tradition: a slice of history with double
scoop of how-to.
We hope it hits the spot.
GIA GIASULLO & PETER FREEMAN