The History of Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate has been consumed by humans for over 3,000 years and dates all the way back to the Olmecs of Mexico. It was introduced to Europe in the 15th century and was typically enjoyed as a sweetened, hot drink. By the 1700s, chocolate was being advertised as having medicinal properties and was often prescribed to patients struggling with weight loss. It was also used to cover up the unpalatable taste of many early medicines and tonics. While we don’t know exactly when pharmacists began combining cocoa powder and sugar to create chocolate syrup, it’s clear that its advent was helped along by Dutch chemist Coenraad J. Van Houten’s invention of cocoa powder in 1828. Pharmacists would often mix the powder with water and sugar to make it drinkable and sweet enough for customers to consume. In the second half of the 19th century, patent medicines became quite popular — these were essentially unregulated “cures” for various ailments that were being sold directly to the public. Chocolate syrup was used to make the popular concoctions more palatable for patients to drink. (Notably, most of these tonics were typically available in liquid or powder form rather than as pills, which were prohibitively expensive to produce before mass production took hold in the early 1900s.) Druggists would typically mix each tonic with a base of sugary syrup (often chocolate) and a beverage liquid for customers so that patrons could (literally) drink their medicine. Over time, carbonated water became the beverage base of choice, giving rise to soda fountains at pharmacies. Syrups, in turn, became even more popular to keep up with the burgeoning soda craze. Soda fountains popped up everywhere because there was high public demand and they brought in additional funds to help keep pharmacies afloat. Around the turn of the 20th century, chocolate syrup began to shift from a medicinal additive in tonics to a treat. Over time, it naturally became a popular element of the ice cream desserts that soda fountains served up. The rise of pills also hastened this transition, as did the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and 1914 Harrison Narcotic Act, which provided more regulation and further sidelined tonics. In 1926, Hershey began marketing pre-mixed, shelf-stable cans of chocolate syrup to commercial businesses (previously, pharmacists and soda jerks had to mix their own batches regularly). This made chocolate syrup even more popular, and by 1930, Hershey and other chocolate companies like Bosco’s had begun to sell pre-made chocolate syrup directly to consumers. Today, chocolate syrup remains a frequently requested topping at ice cream parlors and commercially available bottles are often kept in the refrigerators of many homes for use as a “dessert condiment.”