SODA FOUNTAIN SPARKLES ANEW.

Byline: Phil Vettel Chicago Tribune 

The American soda fountain - that bastion of sundaes, ice cream sodas and diet-busting, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink creations - is alive and well. It simply has changed its appearance a bit.

Today's soda fountain is a bit more diversified, reflecting a need to appeal to a greater clientele. These days, Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe still makes a great hot fudge sundae - but it also makes a mean plate of nachos.

``An ice-cream fountain never was a profit-maker,'' says Betty J. Davis, founder of the National Association of Soda Jerks, an Omaha, Neb.-based organization that holds conventions, reunions and public events. ``It was designed to bring people in to buy other products.''

In the Strand Cafe in Lemont, Ill., for instance, ice cream sales are nice, but the restaurant's Cajun menu pays more of the bills. Indeed, owner Bill Montgomery recently removed the 50-year-old soda fountain from his dining room to make room for more tables.

``A lot of people liked looking at it,'' says Montgomery, ``but it didn't generate a lot of business, and took up a lot of space.''

But fear not; the Strand still serves the World's Best Chocolate Soda (if you don't think it's the best, it's free), among other fountain creations.

``Fountain creations.'' The very term conveys practitioner status to the soda jerk (or fizzician, as some whimsically call themselves). A soda jerk was a fairly well-respected fellow in his day, says Davis, and fairly popular with the women.

The heyday of the soda jerk may be gone, but happily, soda fountains are enjoying a bit of a popularity surge, according to Bob Schy, owner of American Soda Fountain, a Chicago company that restores and sells vintage soda fountains.

Schy says he has installed soda fountains recently in several restaurants.

His firm also sets up temporary soda fountains for special events. ``At one party, we went through 40 gallons of ice cream in three hours,'' Schy says. ``Nobody went to the bar - and these were salesmen.''

Free with any refurbished soda fountain, says Schy, are lessons in how to use it. Any fool can scoop ice cream, apparently, but being a jerk - the term refers to the technique of pulling the handle controlling the carbonated-water flow - takes practice.

``It's a real art,'' says the Strand's Montgomery. ``You have to pull the handle just the right way to get that fine mist spray. That's the key.''

They've got the technique down beautifully at Petersen's Ice Cream Co., an Oak Park, Ill., fixture for 77 years. There, waiters jot down ``chocolate O'' on their order pads for a chocolate soda, and ``chocolate U'' for a sundae (see if you can crack the code), and ice-cream sodas are served with a tiny pitcher of seltzer water on the side - not enough for a complete refill, but enough to rejuvenate the drink after a few sips.

But owner Bob Raniere concedes that fountain sales alone wouldn't have kept the business running. Raniere relies on a thriving wholesale business, selling Petersen Ice Cream to restaurants, caterers and even other ice cream parlors; and a full-service restaurant that he added many years ago.

The Purple Cow, for years a landmark in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, was purchased by Ken and Angelo Chiono, who moved the shop, including the life-size cow figurines Rambo and Lavender (who used to grace the original Purple Cow's roof), to Orland Park last April.

True to its name, the shop is awash in things purple. The 15-foot walls are bathed in lavender paint; the piano and curio cabinet, part of the original decor, are painted purple. The glass sugar dispensers are filled with purple-dyed sugar crystals. And the most popular ice cream flavor is the signature Purple Vanilla, which also goes into the Purple Cow - made with purple vanilla ice cream and grape soda.

Conceding that the market has changed, the owners have expanded their scope, buying extra display cases to offer more flavors, adding a fast-food menu (hot dogs, pizzas, nachos) and introducing upscale coffees, cappuccinos and lattes. There's even something called Little Calf Steamers, which are kiddie cappuccinos made with steamed milk and fruity syrups (no caffeine, fortunately).

But the future of ice cream isn't all suburban expansion. Along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, you'll find the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop & Soda Fountain, which opened last year. Owned by the famed San Francisco chocolate company, this shop - a close copy of the original, and the only Ghirardelli shop east of the San Andreas Fault - looks the way an old-fashioned soda fountain should, from its vintage-looking fountain and marble counter top to its marble-topped, cast-iron tables.

The menu, printed on a single sheet of cream-colored paper (you're welcome to take a copy home), offers the usual sundaes, shakes and malts, along with signature creations such as the Alcatraz Rock (a rocky road ice cream island in a whipped-cream bay) and the Earthquake Sundae (eight ice creams and toppings, bananas and nuts).

And to the right of the soda fountain is a large retail section, which sells all shapes and sizes of Ghirardelli chocolates, plus for you make-it-at-home types, Ghirardelli's hot fudge sauce.

GHIRARDELLI'S HOT FUDGE SUNDAE

We prefer the dark, rich taste that comes from using unsweetened chocolate. But if you like a sweeter sauce, use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for this glorious hot fudge sundae.

4 ounces unsweetened OR bittersweet chocolate, broken in pieces

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup light corn syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine chocolate, butter, sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Sauce can be stored in refrigerator several weeks. Reheat gently before serving. Makes 2 cups.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 150 calories; 6.8 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 8 milligrams sodium.

PETERSEN'SSTRAWBERRY SODA

1/4 cup frozen strawberries in juice, thawed

1 cup club soda OR flavored sparkling water

2 scoops (1 cup) vanilla ice cream

Whipped cream and maraschino cherry

Put strawberries in bottom of a 12-ounce soda glass and add about half of soda water. Top with ice cream, whipped cream and cherry.

Serve with an iced tea spoon, and a small glass filled with the remaining soda. About halfway through, add remaining soda water to revive soda, if desired. Makes 1 serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 279 calories; 14 grams fat; 34.6 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams protein; 58 milligrams cholesterol; 156 milligrams sodium.

Jerk jargon fuels fizz fun

The language of the soda jerk - a system of slang and abbreviations - is all but dead, concedes Lynda Utterback, publisher of National Dipper magazine, a trade journal to 20,000 ice cream stores.

``Nobody uses it anymore,'' she says. ``But they would know what it means.''

``They'' are the 1,500 members of the National Association of Soda Jerks, a group ``dedicated to the preservation of American nostalgia'' and the heritage of the soda fountain in particular.

Though members range from youngsters to one 105-year-old, most true soda jerks would be men in their 80s and 90s today, says founder Betty J. Davis.

Generally, in the 1920s and '30s, jerks were men (insert punch line here), Davis says; women didn't become soda jerks in significant numbers until the 1940s.

Soda jerk jargon, Davis says, had several purposes. Colorful terms added an air of romance and mystery to the soda jerk's performance; ``shake one all the way'' referred to a chocolate shake with chocolate ice cream, and ``shake one in the hay'' was a strawberry shake.

Other terms were simply used for fun: ``Belch water'' for a glass of soda, ``cow juice'' for milk, ``dog soup'' for plain water.

And some phrases let soda jerks talk openly about customers. A ``gorp'' referred to a greedy eater; ``George Eddy'' was a no-tipper and ``87 12'' referred to a good-looking girl (other terms were more specific about a girl's attributes).

Jargon varied regionally, and even from jerk to jerk, Davis says; for instance, a phosphate made with all syrup flavors added was called a ``suicide'' in Omaha, and a ``graveyard'' in nearby Lincoln, Neb. A ``black cow,'' made with root beer and ice cream, was called a ``brown cow'' in some regions, and in other parts of the country a ``brown cow'' was made with cola, not root beer. A drink made with lime syrup, lime juice and soda water was variously known as a ``green river,'' ``lime rickey,'' ``squeeze one'' or ``green lizard.''

More jerk jargon

Adam's ale: Water.

Bucket of hail: Ice.

Burn one add: Malt powder.

Chicago pineapple: Soda.

Coney Island chicken: Hot dog.

Glob: Plain sundae.

Houseboat: Banana split.

Make it virtue: Cherry coke.

Muddy river: Chocolate coke.

On wheels: To go.

Sand: Sugar.

Shoot one: Small coke.

Shoot one and stretch it: Larger coke.

Shoot it yellow: Lemon coke.

Suds: Root beer.

White cow: Vanilla shake.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) The heyday of the soda jerk may be gone , but soda fountains are alive and well - and serving cappuccino and nachos along with ice cream.

Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune

Box: Jerk jargon fuels fizz fun (See Text)