This is a simple and straightforward recipe, but it started life as something else entirely!

My original idea had been to recreate a true "sugar-free" (to the degree it COULD BE true) Egg Cream, like the old soda fountains would have made. I'm often drawn to these kinds of recipes, as they've got history and a bit of fun thrown in. In addition to the age of an egg cream, is the simple fact that it contains neither eggs, nor cream! I made my own chocolate syrup, and used almond milk and club soda. I tried to get it to foam, and tried to shake two glasses together (like a shaken martini), this ended explosively. After a big blotting session, I decided to give up and throw in the dirty towel.

Because I needed a 7th dessert for "dessert week" and wanted it to be a beverage and had to use ingredients that I had on-hand ... I thought of the "Italian Soda" idea!

Italian Sodas have their roots in the US, not Italy. However, the legend has it that the Italian Soda was started by "Torani" in the mid 1920's. Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre used the family's Italian recipes to develop their flavored syrups. Using these syrups, they would flavor sparkling water and market the "Italian Soda" to neighborhood cafes in the North Beach area of San Francisco. The rest, as they say, is history!