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Strawberry Syrup (II)
American Strawberry Extract, 1 ounce; Simple Syrup, 1 gallon; American Fruit Acid, 1 ounce; American Fruit Color, 66. American Soda Foam
This is a soda-fountain dispensing formula rather than a kitchen recipe: four proprietary preparations from a single supply house, blended cold into a gallon of stock syrup. Nothing is cooked, and the whole point is a shelf-stable syrup to be drawn an ounce at a time under carbonated water.
- The text is truncatedThe entry gives no quantity for the color, and the soda foam is listed with no amount at all. The "66" is ambiguous: it may be a catalogue reference, or simply the number of the following formula in the book. Treat both quantities as unspecified rather than guessing.
- Simple syrup, fountain strengthFountain simple syrup was a heavy syrup; period manuals commonly give something on the order of 2 pounds of sugar to a pint of water. A syrup that dense resists fermentation in an open jar, and it is what lets one ounce carry a full glass of soda water.
- American Strawberry ExtractA concentrated proprietary flavoring rather than a home infusion; the shared "American" prefix suggests all four items came from one supply house. One ounce to the gallon is a 1:128 dose, so an ordinary supermarket strawberry extract at that rate is likely to read thin and candied.
- American Fruit AcidMost likely a ready-diluted solution of citric or tartaric acid. Its job is the sour edge that makes sweet syrup taste of fruit. An ounce of dry citric acid per gallon is not the same thing as an ounce of a trade solution, so the two are not interchangeable by volume.
- American Fruit ColorFountain reds of the era ran from cochineal to early coal-tar dyes, several of which were later withdrawn from food use. If you are reconstructing this, use a currently approved food color; the historic product cannot be identified from the name alone.
- American Soda FoamA saponin preparation, usually extract of quillaia (soapbark), added so the drawn drink held a head. Quillaia extract is still permitted in beverages but at limited levels, and it is the one component here that should not be improvised.
- YieldOne gallon of finished syrup, drawn at 1 to 1.5 ounces per glass, gives roughly 85 to 125 sodas. Bottle it filled to the neck, keep it cool and dark, and expect the color to fade before the flavor does.
Formula books like this one were published by flavoring houses as much for advertising as for instruction — every ingredient in the list is a branded product from the same catalogue, so the "recipe" doubles as an order form. At the American soda fountain, strawberry was among the workhorse flavors alongside vanilla, lemon and raspberry. The separate line items for acid, color and foam show the period's understanding that a fountain drink was assembled from four independent effects — flavor, tartness, appearance and head — none of which the extract alone could supply.