Anton Nocito

The name egg cream is misleading—in actuality, the soda fountain classic contains no eggs and no cream. The three winning elements are milk, flavored syrup, and seltzer. For an icy beverage like top soda jerks used to craft, it's best to frost glasses in the freezer.

A basic, must-have ingredient for the serious soda crafter, ginger syrup is an excellent starter recipe. Stirred into a glass of icy seltzer, it makes a zingy, invigorating soda with just enough bite to be interesting. As a building block for more complicated drink blends, this syrup adds depth with its warm spice and clean citrus note. For a more traditional ginger syrup that will make a classic ginger ale, omit the lemon zest.

Some describe the flavor of lemon verbena as a cross between a very subtle licorice and camphor. I love it for its lemony finish. Herbal and bright, it's sometimes used in cooking as a replacement for oregano. As a soda flavor, lemon verbena is modern and crisp, with an herbal complexity. It's great as a stand-alone drink for cocktail hour and as a complement to light, simple meals.

Since the fruit is tart and acidic, the taste for sour cherries right off the tree is an acquired one. When tamed with sweeteners, like sugar or honey, this fruit becomes a natural for liqueurs, preserves, and syrups.