Ice Cream and Ices: Ice Cream Originals

Drugstore soda fountains made their debut early in the nineteenth century. At first they served carbonated water, which was thought to have health benefits, at a simple counter. Before long, fruit syrups and other flavorings were added to the waters, and the fountains became architectural fantasies made of marble and mirrors. Ice cream sodas were initially made with soda water, flavored syrup, and cream, but no ice cream. In 1874, Robert M. Green of Philadelphia substituted ice cream for the cream and created a true ice cream soda. It became such a success that, in 1893, a magazine called it “our national beverage.”