The Milkshake

An odd beginning

The words milk shake appear in the 1880s, but early versions were often eggnog-like drinks rather than the ice cream treat we know. By the early 1900s, soda fountains were mixing milk, syrup and ice cream into thick drinks.

Malts and mixers

William and James Horlick developed malted milk powder in the 1880s as a nutritional drink. In 1922 a Walgreens employee in Chicago, Ivar Coulson, is credited with adding malted milk and extra ice cream to a shake, creating the malted milkshake, which became hugely popular. Electric spindle mixers made it possible to whip up shakes in seconds.

The shake that started fast food

Milkshake machines connect directly to fast food history: Ray Kroc was selling Multimixer machines, which could make five shakes at once, when he met the McDonald brothers. Shakes, burgers and fries became the classic American fast food meal.

Shake vs malt vs float

A shake is milk and ice cream blended. A malt adds malted milk powder for a toasty, nutty flavour. A float is soda poured over ice cream without blending. Fast food shakes are often made from soft serve mixes, and their sugar content can be high, so check the chain's nutrition information.

At home, a simple shake needs only good ice cream, a splash of milk and a blender: start with about three scoops to half a cup of milk and add more milk slowly until it pours the way you like.

Menu guide: shakes worth trying

Classic flavours are chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. A black and white is vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. Regional specials include frappes in New England, the local word for a milkshake made with ice cream, and cabinets in Rhode Island. Many burger chains sell seasonal shakes, such as mint in spring or pumpkin in autumn.

Did you know? A New England frappe and a Starbucks Frappuccino are different things: the first is a classic ice cream milkshake, the second a blended coffee drink. Thick shakes are traditionally served with a spoon as well as a straw, because the straw alone sometimes is not enough.

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