The Blender Was Invented Just For Milkshakes

National Vanilla Milkshake Day is happily enjoyed by many people on June 20th of each year.  You can celebrate this day by making a homemade vanilla milkshake for you and your family today.

• The first time the term “milkshake” was used in print was in 1885.  This milkshake was a concoction of cream, eggs, and whiskey which was often served with other alcoholic tonics such as lemonades and soda waters.
• By 1900, a milkshake was often referred to as “wholesome drinks made with chocolate, strawberry or vanilla syrups.”
• A few years later in the early 1900s, people began asking for this new treat with a scoop of ice cream.  It was then by the 1930s that milkshakes were a popular drink in malt shops everywhere.
• In the 1930s, milkshakes would become a very popular drink at so-called ‘malt shops’, which were frequently used by students of the era as a meeting point to hang out with their friends.
• The milkshake would become the light and frothy kind we know today thanks to the invention of the blender, allowing for a smooth milkshake where previously they could only be hand-shaken.
• In the 1950s, the milkshake establishments had become a mainstay of American culture. Staff at the soda fountains would have nicknames for flavors of milkshake – the nickname for a vanilla milkshake was a ‘white cow’.
• ‘Shakes’ got their name from being served in bars. If the customer enjoyed the specialty drink, he shook hands with the bartender. If not, the bartender wouldn’t get a tip.
• The electric blender was invented in 1922 JUST for the making of milkshakes.
•  In parts of New England, a milkshake is often referred to as a “frappe” (the e is silent)
• According to The Guinness Book of World Records, in 2000 Ira Freehof, made the world’s largest milkshake. At 6,000 gallons it was the equivalent of 50,000 normal-sized shakes.
• Malted milk powder was invented in 1897 by James and William Horlick, but it was Ivar Coulson, a soda jerk for a Walgreen’s drug store, who first added it to milkshakes in 1922. This created the malted milkshake or just plain “malt.”
• In the United Kingdom, milkshakes are called “thick shakes.” In Latin America, the Spanish word is “batido.”
• Rhode Island calls their milkshakes “cabinets.” The milkshakes in Rhode Island are thought to be called “cabinets” because people use to keep their blenders in a small, wooden cabinet. Rhode Island’s “cabinets” are not like the typical milkshake either; they do not contain ice cream. A “cabinet” is just milk and flavoring mixed together.
• A surefire cure for hangovers is to drink a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. It helps soothe your stomach, plus it builds up depleted blood sugar levels and electrolytes such as magnesium and potassium.
• It’d take 3,200,000 average-sized milkshakes to fill up an Olympic-sized pool.
• Milkshakes were a popular food of the extras dressed in ape costumes during filming of the original PLANET OF THE APES movie. Their masks didn’t allow them to eat a regular meal, but they could place a straw in their mouths.
•  Joseph Friedman invented the flexible straw after watching his daughter struggle with her milkshake in his brother’s fountain shop. His invention was patented September 28, 1937.
• Dairy Queen introduced milkshakes in 1949.
• William Horlick’s invention of malted milk in 1887 was the next step toward the modern milkshake.  He combined malted barley, dried milk and wheat flower to produce malted milk. It was sold as a nutritional “pick-me-up” drink for children and invalids.
• Nestlé invented the first chocolate-flavored powdered milkshake mix in the USA in 1948. It was marketed under the name of Nestlé Quik.  It is now sold as Nesquik in over 100 countries worldwide. The Nesquik Bunny has promoted the brand since 1973.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

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