Food Adventure: Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Shop

So, it took me until the Times article came out last week to finally get myself over to Cobble Hill to sample the delicious, homemade sodas at Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Shop, but boy was it worth it! The decor, inside and out, is straight out of the 1950s, and the atmosphere was fun and energetic, full of patiently-waiting families and waitresses with their order up’s reaching across both sides of the counter.

I sat at the counter and read, while my order moved along in the queue. I watched the barbacks whip up delicious sundaes and egg creams; blend the perfect milkshakes; and mix up sodas from the syrups on hand. When my Pink Poodle finally came, I was shocked by how delicious it was. I grew up loving coke floats (but don’t get a root beer float anywhere near me please) and somehow hadn’t quite connected the dots that I had essentially ordered that, flavored with hibiscus instead of cola. It was surprisingly refreshing and delicious after the long bike ride over, and I couldn’t help feeling like kid again as I alternately sipped the soda and spooned out the ice cream. It was so hard not to drink it down in one fell swoop.

Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Shop
513 Henry Street at Sackett St.
Cobble Hill
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Food Trends: Mexican Ice Pops

I’ve been reading a lot recently about Mexican ice pops so was extremely excited when I discovered La Newyorkina at the Hester Street Market on Saturday morning.

 Cute, eye-catching sign in the shape of a pop, right at the entrance!

Essentially, these pops are just like the syrup-based popsicles I made as a kid (this freezing method pre-dated my obsession with my ice cream maker), only with flavors that are native to Mexico, with everything from mango-chile to horchata flavor… some brave souls even sprinkle red chile flakes on their pops once unwrapping them.

Mine were cool like this, with their built-in straws that minimized dripping
(waste in my eyes, mess in my mother’s)

Since I am not a spice lover, the ones that caught my eye from La Newyorkina’s selection were the coco fresco, blackberries and cream, and hibiscus. When I asked La Newyorkina herself what the favorite was, she immediately told me to go for the hibiscus. Boy was I glad I listened. It was juicy, sweet, and had a lovely red-fruit and floral taste. I’d only ever had hibiscus in teas, blended with black tea leaves, so I was excited to find that its essential flavor was more fruity than earthy. The beautiful red-purple plum color only enhanced the taste of the pop and left my lips stained the same dark color.

My hibiscus pop, straight from the freezer.

La Newyorkina’s pops are also available at Marlow and Daughters, which I discovered the next day. This gave me the chance to taste the coco fresco and watermelon (unavailable the day before). Yes, I spent $13 on pops this weekend. No, I am not ashamed. Do I need to do it again? Only for the hibiscus… for the rest, I am going back to my roots and ordering me some new sipper ice pop makers.