The History of the Milkshake

It's hard to imagine a trip to a fast food joint without ordering a cool, thick milkshake. The drinks, which were once only handmade in soda fountains and later produced in huge numbers by machines in restaurants such as McDonald's, are identified with summer and childhood. Though the variety of flavors have long since left the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry options behind, the milkshake remains an enduring cool treat and a part of America's culinary history.

Nineteenth Century

The oldest available printed reference to the milkshake in the United States was in 1885, but the drink contained whiskey, not ice cream. In 1887, malted milk drinks became popular, but they more closely resembled egg nog than a milkshake. They were designed to fortify the diets of older or infirm adults and children.

Soda Fountains

The milkshake as we know it today may have had many creators, but the one who put the frozen drink on the map was Ivar "Pop" Coulson, who worked at a Walgreen's in Chicago. In 1922, he took a traditional malted milk and added a couple of scoops of ice cream. The treat took off in popularity, especially among young people, as the number of soda fountains in cities and small towns grew across the nation. Around that same time, the motorized blender was invented, and by 1954, a million Waring blenders had been sold, making milkshakes even easier to make at home and in restaurants.

Multimixer

Milkshakes began to move from handcrafted, individually made treats to more mass-produced items in 1954. McDonald's founder Ray Kroc helped develop and sell the Multimixer, a machine that could make five milkshakes at one time. The Multimixers became extremely popular in diners and fast food restaurants, such as the McDonalds chain that Kroc eventually turned into an international phenomenon.

Variations

Milkshakes have had a variety of names through the years, some of them regional in origin. In parts of New England and Great Britain, a milkshake is referred to as a "frappe." In the 1950s, milkshakes were called "frosteds," "velvets" and even "cabinets" in places such as Rhode Island. In the 1980s, it became popular in restaurants, such as Dairy Queen and others, to add broken bits of cookies and candy bars to milkshakes (Dairy Queen continues to sell them as "blizzards").

Twenty-First Century

As more soft-serve ice cream machines took their place in fast food and established restaurants, milkshakes continue to be popular into the twenty-first century. The machines, which whip air into the ice cream mixtures, allow establishments to use fewer ingredients than a traditional handmade milkshake without all the air. Milkshakes have also been used in dentists' offices to help relax patients and cool their mouths after certain procedures. Bars also started serving milkshakes containing alcohol, bringing the story of the milkshake and its origins as a whiskey treat full circle.

References

• Sweet History of the Milkshake
• History of the Blender