# What came first the malt or shake and what's the difference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2000, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563 "2000-07-31T16:58:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/1 "2000-07-31T16:58:06Z")
I can’t really tell the difference between the malts and shakes from our local Sonic Drive Inn, other than the shake is just a bit thicker. Anyone know which came first what the ingredients might be? ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/2 "2000-07-31T17:05:44Z")
Do you ever eat malted milk balls? The difference is supposed to be that malts have some of that stuff at the center of the malted milk balls added to them. Someplaces just pretend to make malteds; i have caught them before and I was pissed. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/3 "2000-07-31T17:42:19Z")
25 years ago, for whatever reason, we had a jar of malted milk powder. You’d add it to a milk shake, and make a malted milk shake. And yeah, it tasted more or less like the middle of a malted milk ball. Why you’d do this, I don’t know. It tasted different, not really better (although it sounds like Lee would disagree with this). I suspect that this isn’t the original way people made malts. Chocalate shakes seemed to hold up better to it than vanilla. A strawberry malt would probably have been a bad idea: I never tried it. (\*) Blatantly trying to look intellectual by using “anecdota” instead of “anecdotes” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/4 "2000-07-31T20:46:14Z")
When I worked for Baskin-Robbins, we had malts and shakes. Every so often we would have a cutomer ask for a chocolate malt. (Clueless customer) “I’ll have a chocolate malt–Hey! What’s that brown powdery stuff your putting in there?” (Me) “That’s the malt.” As stated above, basically a malt is a shake to which malt powder has been added. In my experience, older folks prefer it, while younger folks just go for a shake. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/5 "2000-07-31T20:49:45Z")
I find the malt adds a certain extra bit of flavor to your garden variety ice cream shake. Can’t put my finger on it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/6 "2000-07-31T23:04:16Z")
The difference is: Malts rule… shakes drool. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/7 "2000-07-31T23:30:25Z")
A shake is just runny ice cream. It isn’t great till you add malt to the shake. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/8 "2000-08-01T00:25:31Z")
Baskin-Robbins Pralines & Cream Malt. My fave. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/9 "2000-08-01T00:35:03Z")
**malt** is made from sprouted barley (or sometimes other grain), which is usually then dried in a kiln. **malted milk** , used in malted milkshakes, is a mixture of milk powder, malt, and sometimes other ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/10 "2000-08-01T02:07:56Z")
Malts are the way. Anyone here eat Malt-O-Meal. Way better than Cream of Wheat ---
**Author:** ![Quadzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a4c791/32.png) [@Quadzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quadzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/11 "2000-08-01T03:50:18Z")
Malts are my new favorite dessert. I ordered one on a whim from DQ a couple weeks ago…yummmm… Dunno if anyone posting in here is from the Cities or the surrounding area, but Kemp’s Dairy makes a great “Baseball Malt” flavor ice cream. It’s got vanilla malt ice cream with fudge stripes AND malted milk balls in it. I’ve gorged myself on it today. GAaaaah. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/12 "2000-08-01T04:04:07Z")
From the [Hamilton-Beach](http://www.hambeach.com/hbcomm/combio2/history.html) website: > [@](#): > > Malted milk was frequently prescribed by physicians and sold by druggists to individuals who desired a special food product to help build strength. For this reason, the Hamilton Beach drink mixer found its way into the soda fountains of drug stores throughout the United States. It became as much a tradition as hot dogs, apple pie, or baseball. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/13 "2000-08-01T04:12:54Z")
Can I assume that the same malt that makes malts makes, say, Scotch? And other libations? If my assumption is correct… \ Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, malts \ ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/14 "2000-08-01T05:23:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sandyr \* > \*\*Can I assume that the same malt that makes malts makes, say, Scotch? And other libations? > > If my assumption is correct… > > \ Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, malts \ \*\* As **Bibliophage** pointed out earlier in this thread, malted milk and the malt that is used to make scotch aren’t quite the same thing. Don’t go to the ice cream store and ask for a single-malt shake. ---
**Author:** ![fierra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2000, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-came-first-the-malt-or-shake-and-whats-the-difference/27563/15 "2000-08-01T14:10:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by sandyr \* > > \*\*Can I assume that the same malt that makes malts makes, say, Scotch? And other libations? > > > > If my assumption is correct… > > > > \ Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, malts \ \*\* > > As **Bibliophage** pointed out earlier in this thread, malted milk and the malt that is used to make scotch aren’t quite the same thing. > > Don’t go to the ice cream store and ask for a single-malt shake. \*\* ## **Bibliophage** pointed out that malt is sprouted barley (so called because the starch in the corn breaks down to maltose for the new plant to start to use & move around to where it’s needed…pointed out by me) & yes, that is the same stuff that is used in beer and scotch & irish whyskey etc - the fact someone is daft enough to put it in milk rather than make a decent alcoholic beverage from it doesn’t stop it from being the same stuff. (Just like you can use the same yeast to make bread or beer…beer is easier to drink\*). \*Sorry, I’m in a slightly daft mood today!