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De Menthe Sundae
Fill sundae glass two-thirds full of vanilla ice cream, pour over a ladle of crême de menthe syrup, and top off with green cherries.
A fountain formula rather than a kitchen one: three components, no cooking, and the whole thing depends on what you mean by "crême de menthe syrup."
- The syrup is not the liqueurAt a soda fountain, crême de menthe syrup meant a non-alcoholic flavoring syrup — sugar syrup with peppermint oil and green coloring. Modern crème de menthe liqueur is 15-25% alcohol and will thin and melt the ice cream differently; a mint syrup sold for coffee or soda work is the closer match.
- A ladleFountain syrup ladles were commonly around one to one and a half fluid ounces, so 'a ladle' likely means something in that range. One ounce is two tablespoons, a reasonable proportion over a single sundae.
- Sundae glassPeriod sundae and tulip glasses were generally small, on the order of 5 to 8 ounces. Two-thirds full of a glass at the smaller end is roughly two small scoops, about half a cup of ice cream.
- Green cherriesThese were maraschino-type cherries bleached and re-dyed green, sold alongside the red ones for exactly this purpose. They still exist as "green maraschino" or glacé cherries in the baking aisle; candied angelica or a mint leaf does the same visual job.
- Build it cold and serve at onceChill the glass first. Mint syrup is thin and tends to run down through the ice cream rather than sitting on top, so the layered look does not hold for long.
- YieldOne sundae. Scale by the glass.
Soda fountain manuals like this one were trade books, written for the dispenser behind the marble counter rather than the home cook, which is why the instruction assumes a standardized glass and a standardized syrup ladle and explains neither. The crème de menthe sundae belongs to a large family of fountain items that borrowed the names of bar drinks — druggists' soda counters sold mint, grenadine, orange and claret syrups that echoed the cordials of the saloon without the license. The green cherry is the tell: fountain work was as much about color contrast in a clear glass as about flavor, and suppliers offered cherries dyed green, yellow and red.