Soda Break

It's summer and, even though it is not hot (well, not until today, when it's going to be 90F with 93% humidity), I have been craving icy cold flavored drinks. Not just my usual mocha frappucinos or iced decafs with a shot of mocha, but Italian soda and egg creams. I was delighted to find that my bookstore now sells Italian sodas, basically flavored syrups with some seltzer. And I knew that if I added half and half from the coffee stand that I could make a cremosa. I had raspberry, which was wonderful. And I think I'll try hazelnut or vanilla next, as those as the syrups I can buy to have at home. What I can make at home now is an chocolate egg cream, a drink that must have as its origins the cremosa: it's syrup, milk, and seltzer. Yum! So, today, when it's hot, give one of these a try:

Italian Soda

2 Tbs flavored syrup

8-12 oz club soda or seltzer

Pour syrup into glass, add club soda and stir.

Cremosa

2 Tbs flavored syrup

8 oz club soda or seltzer

4 oz half and half or cream

Stir together, or serve in layers. To serve in layers, pour the syrup in the glass. Add the club soda, then partially whip heavy cream and float it on top.

Chocolate Egg Cream

(oops I'm at the wrong computer to pull up my recipe for this; more later)