On June 20th enjoy a cool, frothy ice cream soda. It is National Ice Cream Soda Day!
There are many claims to the invention of this delicious treat. One such claim was made by a Mr. Robert McCay Green. According to Green, he created the beverage in 1874 in Philadelphia when he ran out of ice for his shaved ice treats. Substituting ice cream, he had a hit on his hands. Green even put in his will that his gravestone read “Here lies the originator of the ice cream soda.”
Philip Mohr of Elizabeth, New Jersey would mix soda water with ice cream to make the drink colder. This practice took place earlier in 1862 beating out Mr. Green’s claim.
Advertisements in an 1862 Newport Daily News for Sheld’s Celebrated Ice Cream Soda encourages customers to “Try It, Try It, Try It, It.” By the looks of it, it was something new at the time.
Whenever the ice cream soda was invented, it was certainly a winning combination. For generations, we have been enjoying these creamy carbonated desserts at pharmacies and soda fountains across the country.
Of course, there are adults who added alcohol to the drinks, and in 2012 Boozy’s opened it’s first store in New York City. The ice cream shop in Manhattan requires an ID because it’s spiked with booze. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more.:
