HOURS
Closed For the Season-
see you Spring
2020
​
classic
milkshake
colada noir
signature vegan ice cream
from yesterdays classics to today's legends
At Jerk's we pride ourselves on the ability to satisfy every customers varied taste- we can re-create favorites of yester-year like a true chocolate malt and timeless favorites like root beer floats or hot fudge sundaes.
Feel like something more progressive? Enjoy an over-the-top milkshake complete with lollipops, cupcakes and even a real s'more. Color outside the lines and have our signature Black Ice Cream appropriately named Colada-Noir; an ice cream flavored like a Pina Colada, yet jet black from activated charcoal.
Savor our Jerkos Nachos; A true sweet-n-salty sundae served on a bed of tortilla chips.
Or try our maple Bacon sundae- yes it's chocolate covered bacon and it's delicious.
Ice cream & cake your thing?
try a fro-nut (donut ice cream sandwich),
brown-wich (brownie ice cream sandwich) or
B-day cupcake (ice cream filled birthday cupcake)
Best of all- you can come in and create your own signature drink by selecting a flavor from over 30 different syrups and pair it with an ice cream of your choice. Want a customized sundae? we encourage your creativity!.
check out our specialties menu for
our truly unique ice cream creations
over
the top
milkshake
​
classic
root beer
float
pancake wrap
chocolatey
chippy
birthday cake
sundae
classic
hot fudge
sundae
jerkos nachos
celebration shake
u say it's ur
birthdaty
flight of 3
cookie sandwiches
dairy free & vegan
Just because you are lactose intolerant or vegan, doesn't mean you should miss out on the "soda shop" experience. At Jerk's our vegan and dairy free customers are very important to us and we wish to offer you as many options as possible.
We manufacture our own "ice cream" using coconut milk as our base in a variety of flavors- We also carry a soy based product. By utilizing our large selections of sugar based syrups, toppings and nuts, our vegan and dairy free customers can order (almost) anything from our regular menu, yep... milkshakes, floats, ice cream sodas and sundaes-
Our store-made vegan "ice cream" is made in small batches and flavors can vary- Please call to see our current selections.
Photo of a Soda Jerk handing a fountain treat to a customer between his soda spigots.
Photo circa 1939
EVENTS
Why are we called Jerk's
when we're really not
You may be wondering why we chose such a derogatory term for such a wonderful place-
​
If you were born during the baby boom or prior, you will instantly know our name derives from a pop culture icon known as a "soda jerk".
Those born during the latter part of the baby boom era were the last to see the days of the soda fountain- a place where you would sit at a bar and order an ice cream creation or custom soda. These masters of their craft knew the perfect ratio of flavored syrups to seltzer. (carbonated water that came from a spigot)
Over time, the "soda gun" was created which
would automatically combine the syrup with seltzer.
What was lost in this technology was the ability to adjust the amount of flavoring or limit the available choices.
By recreating this craft, we hail the masters of their day-
The soda Jerk
Come talk to us about giving your guests something sweet to talk about-
We can supply a sundae bar, soda bar or hot beverage bar for your function, home party or even office happy hour-
your guests will love having their sweet tooth satiated-
#Jerkssoda
cows, floats,
cremosa's & egg creams
& when is a milkshake not a milkshake
the fundamentals of soda shop lingo
What’s the difference between a float, a cow and an ice cream soda? Why is an egg cream called an egg cream when there’s no egg in it and when is a milkshake not a milkshake?
Many people question this and through research and personal experience, have some answers.
To understand the wide variety of soda fountain creations, compare a soda fountain of yesterday to a bar or pub of today- It’s the addition of or order of ingredients that changes the end product, therefore giving it a different name.
An example of such- a kahlua and cream is called a sombrero, but add vodka to it and it’s now a white Russian.
A float is any flavor soda with ice cream floating in it. However, the original float was made using only root beer and vanilla ice cream. So when a variation was created, such as using cola instead of root beer, it became a cow. The addition of flavored syrup to the soda then created other variations such as a black cow or brown cow. Over time, it was realized that floats can be made with a wide variety of flavors and combinations and they were named for flavor as opposed to drink type, ie: cola float, creamsicle, cherry vanilla float, cola float, etc.
Cows became somewhat extinct in soda shops but in Brazil, any float is called a cow, so they are alive and well in Brazil and now here at Jerk’s where we offer a wide barnyard of these beauties.
An Ice cream soda is also a drink from the old days and were made in traditional chocolate, vanilla and strawberry as these were the most common syrups available. Some fountains added milk to the beverage, creating a creamy carbonated drink and then adding the ice cream to it. Other fountains would put the ice cream in the glass first, adding the seltzer and flavoring on top. This format caused the ice cream to give the drink its creamy consistency.
So an ice cream soda is pretty much a creamy float usually made in traditional chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors.
​
Egg Creams are a regional drink made only in the NYC area-though it is said that each of the five boroughs makes them a bit different as to the order of ingredients- Being a Brooklynite, we make ours in Brooklyn fashion-syrup first, then milk and topped with seltzer.
Though the recipe is simple, it is the flavor of the syrup that makes it unique. It was created by accident and became very popular in the late 1800’s. It is chocolate, but different from its more popular counterparts such as Hersheys or Nestle’s. History says the term egg cream came from the translation of a German immigrant asking for the drink from the Jewish shop owner and translated to egg cream-
Knowing the difference between a malt and a shake is simple as a malt has malt powder (think ground up whoppers) in it and a milkshake does not.
But in New England, if you ask for a milkshake, you will get milk and flavoring, shaken- no ice cream. Add ice cream to it, blend it and you have a frappe-
Some ice cream shops make milkshakes with just milk and ice cream, no flavoring- Here at Jerk’s we do add flavoring to all milkshakes, but if you prefer not, we can leave the flavoring out-
Cremosa’s are Italian sodas made with flavoring and seltzer, then topped off with a bit of half and half and whipped cream. The trick to a cremosa is that the cream sits on top and swirls in with the soda and ice- They are usually fruity, quite refreshing and very pretty to look at.
Soda fountain creations and the format in how they are made can vary by shop, city and even neighborhood. We prepare our drinks at Jerk’s in a NYC fashion and try keeping true to the old craft and follow the same practices as the fountains I frequented as a kid.
We hope this helps making a drink selection- Come. Enjoy.
