This post was made in partnership with Kerrygold Irish Cream. Recipe and ideas are my own.
January is always a slow start to the year for us booze bloggers; there just tends to be a lot of confusion around alcohol. People tend to fall into one of three categories based on what their personal new year resolution might have been: going dry, keep drinking, or cut back and start drinking lower ABV drinks. One year my husband discovered the joy that was Campari and Soda and now that’s become his go-to low ABV cocktail. Some people give up alcohol for a month, and well, they just stop altogether.
I respect all the choices these people make. Err, except maybe those people who give up drinking for January and then proceed to get black-out drunk on February 1st. Why? Why bother at all people?
But anyway, today I’m offering up a classic drink with a low ABV, but not the usual ones you might think of when I say “classic”. Today I’m taking you back in time to those soda pop shops with long counters and shiny chrome straw holders. I’m giving you a recipe for an Egg Cream, but an adult version made with Kerrygold Irish Cream. The traditional egg cream has neither eggs nor cream in it. It is made with milk, chocolate syrup (and for some people that means Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup) and seltzer water, and originated in this form in New York in the early 1900’s (possibly late 1800’s).
Kerrygold Irish Cream does have cream in it, super rich cream from grass-fed cows, and real chocolate. We’ll be boosting the chocolate with a touch of chocolate syrup, just like the original; your favorite chocolate syrup will do just fine here! I happen to own a soda siphon because… I write about cocktails for a living, but bottled seltzer will work just the same. The magic happens once you add the seltzer to the base of Irish cream and chocolate. Like magic, a creamy head forms on the drink making it look almost like a thick, creamy milkshake. But what I love about this drink is that it is not heavy AT ALL. It is light and frothy and you actually want to drink it down quick because the bubbles do not last all that long.
This adult version of the Chocolate Egg Cream clocks in with a proof around 7.5 so it’s definitely a low ABV drink (around 3.75%). So if you’re looking for something that’s a little sweet, a little ABV, and a lot tasty, I think you should give this classic twist a try!
Note: this drink loves a variation! Try one of these combos once you’ve tasted the original recipe below.
- make it minty with 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract
- a little nutty with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- sub the chocolate syrup with a different syrup of your choice (vanilla is nice!)
Kerrygold Chocolate Egg Cream
1-1/2 ounces Kerrygold Irish Cream, chilled
1 ounce chocolate syrup, chilled
5-6 ounces of seltzer water, chilled
In a soda glass or highball glass, pour in the chilled Kerrygold Irish Cream and chocolate syrup. Top with seltzer water and stir gently to combine. Enjoy!
