,
sprinkles, and a
maraschino cherry 1880s–1930s When the term
milkshake was first used in print in 1885, a milkshake was an alcoholic
whiskey drink that has been described as a "sturdy, healthful
eggnog type of drink, with eggs, whiskey, etc., served as a tonic as well as a treat". However, by 1900, the term referred to "wholesome drinks made with chocolate,
strawberry, or
vanilla syrups". By the "early 1900s people were asking for the new treat, often with ice cream". By the 1930s, milkshakes were a popular drink at
malt shops, which were the "typical
soda fountain of the period". The Hamilton Beach design, with the motor on top, remains the most common kind of milkshake machine. In 1922, Steven Poplawski invented the bottom-motor
blender, which is sometimes used for making milkshakes. With the invention of the blender, milkshakes began to take their modern, whipped, aerated, and frothy form. The use of
malted milk powder in milkshakes was popularized in the US by the Chicago drugstore chain
Walgreens. Malted milk powder – a mixture of
evaporated milk, malted
barley, and
wheat flour – was invented by
William Horlick in 1897 for use as an easily digested restorative health drink for disabled people and children, and as an
infant's food. However, healthy people soon began drinking beverages made with malted milk simply for the taste, This item, under the name "Horlick's Malted Milk", was featured by the Walgreen drugstore chain as part of a chocolate milkshake, which itself became known as a "malted" or "malt" and became one of the most popular soda-fountain drinks. The automation of milkshakes developed in the 1930s, after the invention of
freon-cooled refrigerators provided a safe, reliable way of automatically making and dispensing ice cream. In 1936, inventor Earl Prince used the basic concept behind the Freon-cooled automated ice cream machine to develop the Multimixer, a "five-spindled mixer that could produce five milkshakes at once, all automatically, and dispense them at the pull of a lever into awaiting paper cups". Newspaper articles from the late 1930s suggest the term 'frosted' was sometimes used to refer to milkshakes, particularly those made with ice cream. In 1937, the
Denton Journal in Maryland stated that "For a 'frosted' shake, add a dash of your favorite ice cream." In 1939, the
Mansfield News in Ohio stated that "A frosted beverage, in the vernacular, is something good to which ice cream has been added. Example par excellence is frosted coffee –that hot, tasty beverage made chilly with ice and frosty with ice cream."
1940s–1950s By the 1950s, popular places to drink milkshakes were
Woolworth's "5 & 10"
lunch counters, diners, burger joints, and
drugstore soda fountains. These establishments often prominently displayed a shining chrome or stainless steel milkshake mixing machine. These establishments made milkshakes in Hamilton Beach or similar styles of drink mixers, which had spindles and agitators that folded air into the drinks for "smooth, fluffy results" and served them in tall glasses with bulbous top. Soda fountain staff had their own jargon, such as "Burn One All the Way" (chocolate malted with chocolate ice cream), "Twist It, Choke It, and Make It Cackle" (chocolate malted with an egg), "Shake One in the Hay" (a strawberry shake), and a "White Cow" (a vanilla milkshake). Milkshakes had also become popular in other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia. In Australia, milk bars had grown popular and milkshakes were normally served lightly whipped and often in the aluminum or stainless steel cups in which they were prepared. In addition to more traditional flavors, spearmint and lime-flavored milkshakes became popular in Australia.
2000s–present . Vapor can still be seen forming at the top In 2006, the U.S.
Agricultural Research Service developed reduced-sugar, low-fat milk shakes for lunch programs. The shakes have half the sugar and only 10% of the fat of commercial fast-food shakes. Schools need a milk shake machine or soft-serve ice cream machine to serve the milkshakes. The milkshakes also have added fiber and other nutrients and reduced levels of
lactose, which makes the shakes suitable for some people with
lactose intolerance. U.S. sales of milkshakes, malts, and floats rose 11% in 2006, according to the industry research firm NPD Group. Christopher Muller, the director of the Center for Multi-Unit Restaurant Management at Orlando's University of Central Florida said that "milkshakes remind us of summer, youth – and indulgence", and "they're evocative of a time gone by". Muller stated, that milkshakes are an "enormously profitable" item for restaurants, since the drinks contain so much air. The market research firm Technomic states that about 75 percent of the average-priced $3.38 restaurant shake in 2006 was profit. An executive from
Sonic Drive-In, a U.S. chain of 1950s-style diner restaurants, calls shakes "one of our highest-volume, revenue-producing areas". The article noted that coffee-flavored shakes are popular "because it complements both sweet and savory" dishes. Another trend is using different types of milk, such as
almond milk,
coconut milk,
soy milk, or
hemp milk. ==Use in protests==