Have you ever wondered where milkshakes came from? Well, these
little frothy glasses of delight have been with us since around 1850
when they were nothing more than eggnog drinks topped off with a
generous dose of alcohol. But where did the real milkshakes that we know
and love today come from?
It might interest you to know that ice cream didn't become a featured ingredient in milkshakes until the 1920's. As the story goes, a Walgreens soda fountain manager was experimenting with different concoctions behind the counter, trying to find something that would stand out and please the customers. He plopped a couple of scoops of ice cream into one of the blenders they used for malted milk and voila, the milkshake was born.
I'll bet that was an interesting day to be working because I'm sure he didn't stop at the first shake. I'll bet he dropped in just about anything he could find in the store and tried several different recipes until he settled on what he thought the best one was. There may have been a few upset stomachs that day.
But in the days to come, his little invention grew and grew - just as the Walgreens chain grew. By the end of the decade, the little local drug store was a nationwide chain and every soda fountain had milkshakes. So, most of America was introduced to this scrumptious treat. And every competitor, big and small, had to have the milkshake on their menu too.
Now, in our time, it's almost impossible to find a restaurant that doesn't have a milkshake. Tastes have grown past the simple chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavors that were the early favorites. Now lots of places have exotic blends using unusual ingredients. But no matter what ingredients they use or how they mix their recipes, they'll always owe their success to that Walgreens soda fountain guy who was just trying to find something that would please the customers.
It might interest you to know that ice cream didn't become a featured ingredient in milkshakes until the 1920's. As the story goes, a Walgreens soda fountain manager was experimenting with different concoctions behind the counter, trying to find something that would stand out and please the customers. He plopped a couple of scoops of ice cream into one of the blenders they used for malted milk and voila, the milkshake was born.
I'll bet that was an interesting day to be working because I'm sure he didn't stop at the first shake. I'll bet he dropped in just about anything he could find in the store and tried several different recipes until he settled on what he thought the best one was. There may have been a few upset stomachs that day.
But in the days to come, his little invention grew and grew - just as the Walgreens chain grew. By the end of the decade, the little local drug store was a nationwide chain and every soda fountain had milkshakes. So, most of America was introduced to this scrumptious treat. And every competitor, big and small, had to have the milkshake on their menu too.
Now, in our time, it's almost impossible to find a restaurant that doesn't have a milkshake. Tastes have grown past the simple chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavors that were the early favorites. Now lots of places have exotic blends using unusual ingredients. But no matter what ingredients they use or how they mix their recipes, they'll always owe their success to that Walgreens soda fountain guy who was just trying to find something that would please the customers.
Learn more about Milkshakes and Milkshake Machines by reading my Hub. To Learn more about what interests me, please visit my Hubpages.
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