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The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Milkshakes, malts, concretes, frappes and more: A (delicious) guide to frozen drinks
In the summer heat, we find ourselves drawn to that glorious section of the drinks menu that promises relief in the form of a cold, creamy, brain-freezing indulgence. But ordering a frozen drink looks different in different parts of the U.S., and in different restaurants and ice cream shops. So, what is the difference between a milkshake, a malt, a frappe or maybe even a concrete? Geography, tradition and local lingo all play a role in how frozen drinks are made and what they're called. Let's break it down one strawful (or spoonful) at a time. Milkshakes Perhaps the most iconic of the bunch, the milkshake is typically a blend of ice cream and milk, blended until smooth and sippable. It's simple and sweet. The ice cream usually forms the base flavor of the drink, and then other flavorings are involved, from syrups to extracts to fresh fruit. At the Lexington Candy Shop, a 100-year-old luncheonette with an old-fashioned soda fountain on Manhattan 's Upper East Side, vanilla is the most popular milkshake — about 60% of all shakes ordered. That's according to John Philis, who co-owns the shop with Bob Karcher, and whose grandfather, Soterios Philis, opened it in 1925. Their next most popular flavors are chocolate, coffee and strawberry, Philis said. Lexington Candy uses homemade syrups, he says, which give the shakes 'a nice wow." Other fan favorites at the shop include the classic black and white (vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrups) and the Broadway (chocolate syrup with coffee ice cream). In the summer, there are peach shakes. Malts A malt is essentially a milkshake with a scoop of malted milk powder thrown in. Malted milk powder is an old-fashioned flavoring that combines malted barley, wheat flour (caution to the gluten-free crowd) and evaporated milk. It gives the drink that distinct toasted, almost nutty flavor that transports you mentally to a 1950s diner or drive-in. Fun fact: Malted milk powder was originally created as a nutrition booster, mostly for babies, but it found its home behind the counter of ice cream shops and luncheonettes. It adds slightly richer, old-school vibes to shakes and other frozen drinks. There are also plenty of frozen blended drinks made with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream; these are sometimes known as fro-yo shakes. Frappes 'Frappe' might mean different things to different people, depending on where they're from. In New England, particularly Massachusetts, a frappe is what most of us would call a milkshake, made with milk, ice cream and usually some other flavorings. In Massachusetts, you will hear this drink called 'frap' (rhymes with 'nap'), but believe me when I say there is no consensus on the correct pronunciation of the word. Sometimes a frappe from this region might simply be flavored cold milk, no ice cream involved. There is also a genre of frappes associated with coffee-blended drinks, popularized by chains like Starbucks. Think icy, blended lattes, often topped with whipped cream. These are pronounced 'frap-pays." Frosteds Philis says that in New York City and other regions, a shake used to be known as a 'frosted.' 'When someone comes in and orders a 'frosted,' I like this person,' Philis declares. When McDonald's and other fast-food chains started calling shakes 'shakes,' the world followed suit, and the word 'frosted' went out of fashion. A frosted float, Philis explains, is a milkshake with an extra scoop of ice cream floating on top. Talk about gilding the lily! Concretes Then we have the concrete, an ultra-thick, creamy frozen dessert so dense that a spoon can stand upright in it. This is essentially frozen custard blended with mix-ins like candy, cookies or fruit, but no milk is added. It's more of a scoopable treat than a slurpable one. Concretes are popular where frozen custard is popular — mostly in the Midwest. Frozen custard has significantly less air in it than most ice cream, and a required 1.4% of egg yolks, which gives it its signature richness. The concrete was invented at a frozen custard shop called Ted Drewes in St. Louis. If you buy one there, the server will hand it to you upside down, saying, 'Here's your concrete,' and it won't fall out. Travis Dillon (whose wife, Christy, is founder Ted Drewes' granddaughter) gave this origin story: In the 1950s, a kid named Steve Gamir used to come in and ask the guy behind the counter for 'the thickest shake you can make.' Employees started leaving the milk out of Gamir's shakes, just running the custard through the machine, resulting in a shake that requires a spoon, not a straw. Dillon says chocolate is their most popular flavor, then chocolate chip, strawberry and Heath Bar, but adds that there are lots of other flavors to explore, including a malted chocolate concrete — the best of two frozen-drink worlds! Floats Ice cream floats are the fizzy cousins of shakes. A scoop of ice cream (usually vanilla) is plopped into a glass of soda (usually root beer or cola, occasionally orange soda or a lemon-lime like Sprite) to create a frothy, sweet, bubbly concoction. Floats can be nostalgic for some folks. Lexington Candy remains old-fashioned with their floats, making the sodas to order with syrup, stirring by hand, then adding the ice cream. In some areas of the country, you might hear a root-beer float referred to as a 'brown cow.' Ice cream sodas Like floats, ice cream sodas are are not made in a blender. Philis says his are made with the syrup of your choice, coffee, half-and-half, plus seltzer. Then add a scoop of ice cream. He says usually the syrup and the ice cream are the same flavor, but people also like to mix and match. Smoothies Finally a word about smoothies, the supposedly more health-conscious frozen treat. Smoothies are traditionally made with fruit, yogurt, juice and sometimes ice. Sometimes, the fruit is frozen before it is blended into the drink. Smoothies are designed to feel virtuous, but they can still pack plenty of sugar, calories and richness, depending on the ingredients. For instance, if you see a peanut butter-chocolate-banana smoothie, you may realize quickly that this is more about flavor than health. So the only question is: Is there enough time left in the summer to try the whole lexicon of frozen creamy drinks? Believe in yourself. I believe in you. ___ Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, 'Dinner Solved!' and 'The Mom 100 Cookbook.' She blogs at She can be reached at Katie@ ___
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Milkshakes, malts, concretes, frappes and more: A (delicious) guide to frozen drinks
In the summer heat, we find ourselves drawn to that glorious section of the drinks menu that promises relief in the form of a cold, creamy, brain-freezing indulgence. But ordering a frozen drink looks different in different parts of the U.S., and in different restaurants and ice cream shops. So, what is the difference between a milkshake, a malt, a frappe or maybe even a concrete? Geography, tradition and local lingo all play a role in how frozen drinks are made and what they're called. Let's break it down one strawful (or spoonful) at a time. MilkshakesPerhaps the most iconic of the bunch, the milkshake is typically a blend of ice cream and milk, blended until smooth and sippable. It's simple and sweet. The ice cream usually forms the base flavor of the drink, and then other flavorings are involved, from syrups to extracts to fresh fruit. At the Lexington Candy Shop, a 100-year-old luncheonette with an old-fashioned soda fountain on Manhattan's Upper East Side, vanilla is the most popular milkshake — about 60% of all shakes ordered. That's according to John Philis, who co-owns the shop with Bob Karcher, and whose grandfather, Soterios Philis, opened it in 1925. Their next most popular flavors are chocolate, coffee and strawberry, Philis said. Lexington Candy uses homemade syrups, he says, which give the shakes 'a nice wow.' Other fan favorites at the shop include the classic black and white (vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrups) and the Broadway (chocolate syrup with coffee ice cream). In the summer, there are peach shakes. MaltsA malt is essentially a milkshake with a scoop of malted milk powder thrown in. Malted milk powder is an old-fashioned flavoring that combines malted barley, wheat flour (caution to the gluten-free crowd) and evaporated milk. It gives the drink that distinct toasted, almost nutty flavor that transports you mentally to a 1950s diner or drive-in. Fun fact: Malted milk powder was originally created as a nutrition booster, mostly for babies, but it found its home behind the counter of ice cream shops and luncheonettes. It adds slightly richer, old-school vibes to shakes and other frozen drinks. There are also plenty of frozen blended drinks made with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream; these are sometimes known as fro-yo shakes. Frappes'Frappe' might mean different things to different people, depending on where they're from. In New England, particularly Massachusetts, a frappe is what most of us would call a milkshake, made with milk, ice cream and usually some other flavorings. In Massachusetts, you will hear this drink called 'frap' (rhymes with 'nap'), but believe me when I say there is no consensus on the correct pronunciation of the word. Sometimes a frappe from this region might simply be flavored cold milk, no ice cream involved. There is also a genre of frappes associated with coffee-blended drinks, popularized by chains like Starbucks. Think icy, blended lattes, often topped with whipped cream. These are pronounced 'frap-pays.' FrostedsPhilis says that in New York City and other regions, a shake used to be known as a 'frosted.' 'When someone comes in and orders a 'frosted,' I like this person,' Philis declares. When McDonald's and other fast-food chains started calling shakes 'shakes,' the world followed suit, and the word 'frosted' went out of fashion. A frosted float, Philis explains, is a milkshake with an extra scoop of ice cream floating on top. Talk about gilding the lily! ConcretesThen we have the concrete, an ultra-thick, creamy frozen dessert so dense that a spoon can stand upright in it. This is essentially frozen custard blended with mix-ins like candy, cookies or fruit, but no milk is added. It's more of a scoopable treat than a slurpable one. Concretes are popular where frozen custard is popular — mostly in the Midwest. Frozen custard has significantly less air in it than most ice cream, and a required 1.4% of egg yolks, which gives it its signature richness. The concrete was invented at a frozen custard shop called Ted Drewes in St. Louis. If you buy one there, the server will hand it to you upside down, saying, 'Here's your concrete,' and it won't fall out. Travis Dillon (whose wife, Christy, is founder Ted Drewes' granddaughter) gave this origin story: In the 1950s, a kid named Steve Gamir used to come in and ask the guy behind the counter for 'the thickest shake you can make.' Employees started leaving the milk out of Gamir's shakes, just running the custard through the machine, resulting in a shake that requires a spoon, not a straw. Dillon says chocolate is their most popular flavor, then chocolate chip, strawberry and Heath Bar, but adds that there are lots of other flavors to explore, including a malted chocolate concrete — the best of two frozen-drink worlds! FloatsIce cream floats are the fizzy cousins of shakes. A scoop of ice cream (usually vanilla) is plopped into a glass of soda (usually root beer or cola, occasionally orange soda or a lemon-lime like Sprite) to create a frothy, sweet, bubbly concoction. Floats can be nostalgic for some folks. Lexington Candy remains old-fashioned with their floats, making the sodas to order with syrup, stirring by hand, then adding the ice cream. In some areas of the country, you might hear a root-beer float referred to as a 'brown cow.' Ice cream sodas Like floats, ice cream sodas are are not made in a blender. Philis says his are made with the syrup of your choice, coffee, half-and-half, plus seltzer. Then add a scoop of ice cream. He says usually the syrup and the ice cream are the same flavor, but people also like to mix and match. SmoothiesFinally a word about smoothies, the supposedly more health-conscious frozen treat. Smoothies are traditionally made with fruit, yogurt, juice and sometimes ice. Sometimes, the fruit is frozen before it is blended into the drink. Smoothies are designed to feel virtuous, but they can still pack plenty of sugar, calories and richness, depending on the ingredients. For instance, if you see a peanut butter-chocolate-banana smoothie, you may realize quickly that this is more about flavor than health. So the only question is: Is there enough time left in the summer to try the whole lexicon of frozen creamy drinks? Believe in yourself. I believe in you. ___ Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, 'Dinner Solved!' and 'The Mom 100 Cookbook.' She blogs at She can be reached at [email protected]. ___ For more AP food stories, go to
The Independent
10-08-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Milkshakes linked to 14 deaths and 42 listeria cases in 21 states from California to New York spark lawsuits
The maker of a frozen supplemental milkshake popular among long-term care facility patients is being sued after the shakes were linked to 14 deaths and 42 cases of listeria. The supplemental shakes, sold under the brands Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial, were sold to long-term care facilities and hospitals up until the shakes were recalled in February over listeria cases linked to the products. The family of John Willis Sr., a California man who died from a listeria infection after consuming an infected shake, is now suing Lyons Magnus LLC and Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., claiming the brand's negligence caused his wrongful death, according to the complaint. Willis was in the hospital recovering from another illness when he drank a listeria-infected supplemental shake, the law firm representing the family said in a post on their website. Willis was just one of 14 people who died from cases of listeria linked to the milkshakes. There were 42 people infected with the outbreak strain across 21 states, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. The illnesses date back to about August 2018, though investigators had struggled previously to identify the source, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this year when the shakes were voluntarily recalled. Of the 42 people, 41 were hospitalized. The deaths were reported from nine states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Most of the people infected in the outbreak were living in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized before they became sick, the law firm said. The lawyers also noted that the true number of cases in the outbreak was likely higher than reported because some people recover without medical care or are not tested for listeria. Symptoms of listeria usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated food, but can begin as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks later, according to the FDA. Mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. If the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, the agency says.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fan-Favorite Five Guys Menu Item Returns After 4-Year Hiatus
Five Guys doesn't have to do much to make its fanbase happy. The burger chain has stayed true to its core menu since we could remember — good burgers, french fries, hot dogs, and milkshakes. So when a newer menu item is introduced and soon gets the boot, customers notice fairly quickly. Four years ago, Five Guys released the coffee milkshake mix-in — and now, it's returning for a limited-time. The coffee-inspired milkshake stands alongside the chain's classic flavors (vanilla, salted caramel, Oreo crème, Oreo cookies, peanut butter, chocolate, and strawberries). According to the franchise's website, the more out-of-the-ordinary flavors currently available include bacon and candy cane are excited about the news, writing on Five Guys' Instagram post that they are "so happy about this," while others are already contemplating pairing it with other mix-ins like Oreo. Some social media users are even calling for other flavors that have disappeared to come back as well, such as the popular malt mix-in. It's unclear how long fans will be able to order the comeback coffee offering, but the chain has confirmed that you can try it out on its own or with any of their other mix-ins. Five Guys wrote via a secondary Instagram post that it offers "as much caffeine as a cup of coffee." RELATED: Loyal customers of the chain were upset when the coffee mix-in was initially taken off menus in 2021. Reddit users speculated the reason, writing that it "might be because of the time and effort it takes to brew coffee…Five Guys is on a frenzy right now with increasing efficiency and productivity." A second fan responded that they noticed the "removal" and were "devastated." Luckily, customers don't have to wait any longer to see the coffee mix-in on Five Guys' iconic milkshake Five Guys Menu Item Returns After 4-Year Hiatus first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 27, 2025
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cast your vote now: We want to know who has the best milkshake in Tuscarawas County
NEW PHILADELPHIA – With summer officially in full swing, it's tough to imagine balancing all the fun without a tasty treat to cool off. So, Tuscarawas County residents, we want to know who makes the best milkshake in town? Let us know by July 1, and when the results are in we will profile the establishment that makes the best milkshake in the county. T-R staff photographer Andrew Dolph can be reached by phone at 330-289-6072, or by email at adolph3@ You can also find him on Instagram @dolphphoto. This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Who makes the best milkshake in Tuscarawas County? Cast your vote now!
