The Famous Candy Shop That Still Makes Coca-Cola The Old-Fashioned Way

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Most of us are accustomed to drinking the many varieties of Coca-Cola from a can, bottle, and sometimes, from the soda machine when we go out to eat. None of these methods is the original, old-fashioned way to drink Coca-Cola. The modern-day soda machine is certainly the closest, but still not quite the same. A New York City-based candy shop that turned 100 years old in 2025 still makes it the original way, mixing the carbonated water and syrup by hand.

Lexington Candy Shop opened in 1925, the era when soda fountains were popping up all over America. These classy shops (often connected to an apothecary due to the alleged health benefits of soda) would peak around the 1940s, and served as a meet-up spot for friends or dates, and even as an after-work stop. They were especially popular during Prohibition, and worked as a bar alternative where one could socialize over a few refreshing fizzy drinks.

While soda shops began to decline throughout the 1950s and '60s due to the increase of bottled beverages and fast food, Lexington Candy Shop was one of the few that persevered. Just as the store did a century ago, Coca-Cola syrup is first pumped into a glass full of ice. Carbonated water is poured in from the silver, gooseneck-shaped spigot, and the drink is mixed with a spoon. And yes, you can add on a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an afternoon sweet treat.

The reason Lexington Candy Shop is so famous is that old-fashioned soda fountain setups are few and far between. There are a couple of other spots in NYC that offer this nostalgic drink, such as Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain and Eddie's Sweet Shop. But in general, finding an authentic soda fountain in America is a challenge — most have since been replaced with a soda machine, which automatically mixes the syrup and carbonated water and then dispenses it.

Many of us won't know what old-fashioned Coca-Cola tastes like, but at least some modern restaurants and fast food joints make the effort to do soda better than others. For example, McDonald's Coke is especially loved for being extra cold and crisp, with a straw specifically designed for the maximum sipping experience.

For a super modern experience, there are 50,000 Coca-Cola Free Machines throughout the country, which allow customers to customize their sodas to their liking. The machine, which features a touch screen, mixes the flavored syrups with carbonated water on demand, so this concept is a bit closer to the original soda fountain. Like the DIY soda concept? Consider a SodaStream for the house, so you can buy a bottle of cola syrup and make soda just the way you like it.