Cream soda

Cream soda, also known as American cream soda, is a sweet carbonated soft drink, usually flavored with vanilla.

The drink originated in the United Kingdom in the 19th century. A recipe for cream soda—written by E.M. Sheldon and published in Michigan Farmer in 1852—called for water, cream of tartar, Epsom salts, sugar, tartaric acid, egg, and milk, to be mixed together, then heated, and when cool mixed with water and a quarter teaspoonful of soda (sodium bicarbonate) to make an effervescent drink.

Alexander C. Howell, of Vienna, New Jersey, was granted a patent for "cream soda-water" on June 27, 1865. Howell's cream soda-water was made with sodium bicarbonate, water, sugar, egg whites, wheat flour, and "any of the usual flavoring materials—such as oil of lemon, &c;, extracts of vanilla, pine-apple, &c.;, to suit the taste"; before drinking, the cream soda water was mixed with water and an acid such as tartaric acid or citric acid. In Canada, James William Black of Berwick, Nova Scotia was granted a U.S. patent on December 8, 1885, and a Canadian patent on July 5, 1886, for "ice-cream soda". Black's ice-cream soda, which contained whipped egg whites, sugar, lime juice, lemons, citric acid, flavoring, and bicarbonate of soda, was a concentrated syrup that could be reconstituted into an effervescent beverage by adding ordinary ice water.)

Barq's Red Creme Soda

Big Red

Boylan's Creme Vanilla

Briar's Premium Cream Soda

Big Shot Cream Soda (New Orleans area)

Canfield's Swiss Creme (mainly in the Chicago area)

Dad's Cream Soda

Dr. Brown's (mainly in the New York City area, but also kosher delicatessens across the country)

Faygo (mainly in Michigan and surrounding states, but also urban eateries across the country, e.g. Ezells)

Fletcher Street Brewing Company's Cream Soda (mainly in Michigan)

Foxon Park (mainly in Connecticut)

Henry Weinhard's Cream Soda

IBC

Jones Soda

Mug Cream Soda

Route 66 Sodas Cream Soda (New Route 66 Flavor)

Shasta Creme Soda

Stewart's

Vess (Old St. Louis variety that is a deep pink)

Virgil's Cream Soda

White Rock Beverages

SodaStream Cream Soda Syrup

Canada

Today, cream soda in Canada is often pink and has a unique taste somewhat reminiscent of grenadine. Clear versions of cream soda can also be found.

Brands include:

Cott Cream Soda

Crush (Canada only)

Deepak Jamaican Style Cream Soda

Fanta

Grace Cream Soda – "Genuine Caribbean taste"

Kiri Cream Soda

Life Brand

Mr. Goudas Snappy Pop Cream Soda

The Pop Shoppe

Walmart

Caribbean and Latin America

Cream soda is usually served as a "red pop", particularly Fanta's Red Cream Soda.

DG Sof Drink Cream Soda (Jamaica)

Prisco Mundet (Mexico) – red, generally only available in the Mexico City area

Séjourné Cream Soda (Haiti) – made from cocoa creme

Solo Beverage Company (Trinidad)

Colombiana - Cream soda flavored, orange in color (Colombia)

ToniCol (Mexico) – a naturally-flavored vanilla soda

Frescolita (Venezuela) - a bubble gum flavored soda

Oceania

Australia

In Australia, cream soda is generally known as creaming soda (or occasionally creamy soda) by current manufacturers and is generally pink, red or brown. Less commonly, there is a bright yellow type of creamy soda, an example of which is produced by Crows Nest Soft Drinks, or Hartz. The most common manufacturer of creaming soda in Australia is arguably Kirks or River Port, a soft drink manufacturer with a variety of other products. As of 2005, Kirks creaming soda is made and distributed by Coca Cola. Up until the mid 1990s, Kirks also produced Snow Cap, which was essentially the vanilla flavored brown version of the drink. The name "Snow Cap" was created to differentiate the pink and brown versions of the drink. Snow Cap is no longer produced. Cadbury Schweppes market Cream Soda as part of their 'Schweppes Traditional' line of soft drinks. Until recently it was deep red in all states except Victoria where it was brown, but now both varieties are offered. The flavor is also different between the red and brown versions of 'Schweppes Traditional' with the red version having a small amount of raspberry flavor added to it. South Australian soft drink manufacturer Woodroofe produces "Sno-Top", a brown creaming soda drink. A second South Australian soft drink and cordial manufacturer Bickford's markets a deep red colored creaming soda. Golden Circle is another a popular brand of creaming soda.

New Zealand

This is known as Creaming soda, Ice cream soda, Chill drink or cream soda, though the flavor changes are negligible. It is usually a bright yellow color or a white opaque. It is one of the many flavors sold by Foxton Fizz. It is also one of the many carbonated drink-flavors offered by Golden Circle.

Europe

Another variety is one referred to as Italian cream soda. This is usually a mixture of carbonated water and Half and half or cream combined with vanilla syrup. Ratios vary widely, but the taste is usually that of sweetened, flavored milk.

United Kingdom

In the UK, cream soda was traditionally served with a dessert-spoonful of vanilla ice cream floating on the top, but this has now become a rarity in recent years. It is vanilla-flavored, slightly glutinous and has a uniquely thick, "soft" and long-lasting foam. A.G. Barr, Ben Shaw's (a Cott brand) and DG Jamaica manufacture their own brands of cream soda, and most supermarkets sell it under their respective own brands. Pakola, a Pakistani brand of ice cream soda, is available in most Asian retailers.

Netherlands

Has only one brand called Frizz and is caramel-colored. But in Asian (especially Chinese) supermarkets they also sell Schweppes Cream Soda, the Cream sodas are imported from Hong Kong.

Asia

In Japan, "cream soda" is a term used for an ice cream float made with melon-flavored soda topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

In Hong Kong, the Swire Coca Cola Company markets a yellow Schweppes Cream Soda. Some people enjoy Cream Soda in a 1:1 ratio with fresh milk.

In India, two brands of cream soda are Cottons and Bijoli. Pakistan's popular brand is Pakola Ice Cream Soda (, Bākōlā), which is green in color. In Malaysia the F&N; or Fraser and Neave brand makes a clear Ice Cream Soda.

In Sri Lanka, Elephant Brand Cream Soda is considered to be a very popular soft drink. Meanwhile Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka launched their newest flavor "Fanta Cream Soda" in July 2009.

In Thailand, Hale's Trading produces Hale's Blue Boy Brand Cream Soda Flavoured Syrup. A green colored rose/floral flavored cordial. This is mixed 1 part to 4 parts water/soda water to get a cream soda drink, very similar to the South African Creme Soda. Or used as a flavoring in their shaved iced deserts. This syrup is sold world-wide in some Asian food stores.

PepsiCo's division in Thailand produces a green cream flavored soda under their brand name Mirinda.

Africa

In South Africa and Zimbabwe, Cream soda is sold under the label Sparletta Creme Soda, a product of the Coca-Cola company. It is green in color, with a rose/floral taste.

In South Africa, Creme Soda is often referred to as the "Green Ambulance" (predominantly by students), as it is believed to alleviate the effects of hangovers. Creme Soda is also used as a mixer with cane spirit (an inexpensive alcoholic beverage distilled from fermented sugarcane). This is commonly known as a "John Deer" (cf. John Deere and its green logo), "Cane Train", or "Green Mamba". Cane spirit is chosen due its ability to go relatively unnoticed.

References

Category:Soft drinks Category:Canadian inventions Category:Cream soda