Interesting facts about milkshakes

Random post, I know, especially since I don't do milkshakes, but I found this site and wanted to share these facts with my blogger world, who DO enjoy milkshakes. :)

The first known printed reference to a “milkshake” dates back to 1885 and contains whiskey as one ingredient. For medicinal purposes only (Riiiight).

Milkshakes got their name from being served in bars. If the customer enjoyed the milkshake, he shook hands with the bartender. If not, the bartender didn’t get a tip.

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, in 2000 Ira Freehof (owner of Comfort Diners), (with a lot of help from Parmalot USA and The American Dairy Association), made the world’s largest milkshake. At 6,000 gallons it was the equivalent of 50,000 normal-sized shakes. Do you want fries with that? (Please say no, you don't need anything else to eat or drink after that, especially not fatty fries.)

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.” Steven Poplawski invented the electric blender in 1922 just for milkshakes. Before that, the effort of shaking them up must have required a lot of upper body motion. Ray Kroc did not start McDonald’s. He was a milkshake machine salesperson who called on the McDonald brothers. Impressed by how many milkshake machines they bought from him, he looked closely at their operation, decided they’d invented an exciting way of making hamburgers — and the rest is fast food history. Bostonians call milkshakes “frappes,” but this can also simply mean a glass of milk with syrup. In the United Kingdom, milkshakes are called “thick shakes.” In Latin America, the Spanish word is “batido.” 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. Use the 1885 milkshake formula and you’re also drinking the hair of the dog that bit you.

The Horlick brothers from Gloucestershire marketed their malted milk powder under the name, “Diastoid.” It was originally billed as a tonic and strengthening food for infants. British children are still fed this form of malted milkshake under the brand name of Horlicks.

Contrary to popular rumor, McDonald’s milkshakes do NOT contain “seaweed.” They DO contain carrageenan, which is derived from carrageen, a form of seaweed known as “Irish moss.” Carrageenan is a common food additive that controls crystal formation in frozen foods, and is found in many other processed foods.

It’d take 3,200,000 average-sized milkshakes to fill up an Olympic-sized pool. How fast do you think Michael Phelps could swim in that?

In Rhode Island, the state drink is “coffee milk” — made like chocolate milk but with coffee instead. Add ice cream and in Rhode Island you have a coffee “cabinet.” It’s called that because the creator of this drink kept his blender in a kitchen cabinet. (wow, they are so creative...and strange)

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 place a straw in their mouths.

One milkshake = 240 grams of carbohydrates, 158 grams of sugar, and 1160 calories. Small wonder Johnny Depp drank lots of milkshakes to beef himself up for his part in the movie DONNIE BRASCO.

Contrary to popular urban legends, McDonald’s shakes have never contained ground-up styrofoam balls or cow eyeballs. The original formula (changed in the early 80s) did contain more fat and calories than currently available. (GROSS!! Who and why would someone come up with that kind of urban legend??)

FACT: McDonald’s shakes have never contained whiskey or beer. Since McDonald’s in France do serve wine, perhaps they’d consider a wine shake. Does “le Big Mac” call for a rose or blanc shake? (mmmm, I could get used to that)

Australians can still buy traditional milkshakes in “milk bars,” which are much like old-fashioned drugstores with counter service. They’re usually served still in the steel cup, but may be poured into a paper cup for carry out orders.

Again contrary to popular rumors, McDonald’s shakes DO contain milk. It’s listed as their primary ingredient, so if you’re lactose intolerant don’t believe anyone who says it’s safe for you to drink McDonald’s shakes. When Grimace debuted as a character in McDonald’s commercials in 1971, he was far from the loveable right-hand man to Ronald McDonald. He was known as “The evil Grimace” and to prove it, he stole milkshakes! In one such early commercial, Ronald thwarts The evil Grimace with the help of a young, not-yet-a-movie-star actress named Jodie Foster.

September 12 is Chocolate Milkshake Day. Maybe if we write our congressional representatives we can get a Vanilla Milkshake Day declared.

Oh, and today is National Doughnut Day. Here is a homemade donut recipe.

And click HERE for a whole host of donut recipe's to create your own today (much better than those Krispy Kreme things).