The best way to celebrate the beginning of National Ice Cream Month and the Fourth of July is with a milkshake. Milkshakes, invented and still thriving in the United States, are wonderful treats for a hot summer day that use ice cream AND milk. It’s a dairy lover’s dream come true!
So how was this beautiful creation brought about?
For something so tasty, the history is brief. The word “milkshake” was first printed in 1885, but it wasn’t for the kid-friendly treat we think of today. Instead, the first milkshakes were a combination of cream, eggs, and whiskey! By the early 1900s, whiskey milkshakes were replaced for ones made with flavored syrups and malted milk.
It wasn’t until 1922 when ice cream milkshakes became common, when Walgreens began advertising malted milkshakes after employee Ivar “Pop” Coulson began adding vanilla ice cream, an addition that was an immediate hit. Milkshake rose in popularity and ice cream machines delivered the consistency we think of today.
And now, milkshakes have seemingly endless customizable options, from thickness to flavor to toppings. Drugstore soda fountains offer a nostalgic sip of a chocolate or vanilla milkshake while you sit at the counter. A night out promises a unique milkshake topped with peanut butter and gummy worms for dessert. Days-in guarantee finishing the day with an easy treat—is it blended with your favorite flavor of yogurt for a taste that’s all you without any effort or a mix of all the ingredients in the cabinet that make you think of a special place? Whatever your choice, you can’t go wrong.
When you celebrate this July, make sure it includes the dairy-filled goodness that is, truly, an All-American milkshake.