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The Death of the Classic Malted Milkshake


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I will try to make this post, my first since migrating from Chowhound, terse. I want to share with folks what I believe is another sad chapter in history that will matter to any classic food lover. I speak of the death of the classic fountain malted milkshake. For the purposes of this discussion, I'll define classic fountain malt to the kind that you could get in the early half of the century at almost any pharmacy in America. The kind that included fresh powdered malt, not malt syrup. I'm talking about the kind of malted shake that would be made in a tin, poured into a glass, and then which would be accompanied by the tin to your left, which held nearly another entire glass' worth of shake.

That's the kind of malted milkshake I'm talking about. That's what I mean by classic.

And it's dead. Or at best has a very faint pulse.

Let me say before I make some comments about one place in particular that I’ve tried, I am hoping that folks will come out of the woodwork and prove me wrong. Tell me where the malts are hiding. If I found even 3 worthy venues in addition to the *one* I mention below, I will have had my faith reinvigorated.

Let's begin:

Bespeckled Trout, 422 Hudson St.

Milkshake ~3-4$

Egg Cream ~$2

(prices are estimates, I am fuzzy on the details)

You may have heard about this place from television or an article. I became aware of it from a friend who was reading Chowhound. I recently went to the trout, after doing an errand on Wall St., my wife and I trekked by foot to this small and orderly ice-cream shop that subtly doubles as an antique store and candy stand specializing in classic Americana and the old fashioned candies that one might know from their childhood, or more likely from the movies if your as young as I am.

The Trout is small, with the candy and antiques crammed into a square storefront on a quiet part of Hudson. You may at times be confused as to what is candy and what is say, a bag of polished rocks or marbles.

To the point, the place is apparently run by a fella who makes some of the candy himself. He was absent the day we went, but his mother stood in place and she handled the job with aplomb. Overall the shakes were several orders of magnitude better than any place I have sampled in New York City in the last 7 years, and in the top 10 in my lifetime. However, it was not in the top 2. I am looking forward to going back when the son is there, I suspect he can push the envelope even further than his mom.

We ordered two shakes and one egg cream at the Trout. The first shake was a black and white, and the second shake was a black and white. Did you catch that? Let me try again, the first shake was what my father brought me up on, his definition of a black and white being chocolate ice cream, vanilla syrup and malt powder.. not too thick, but not milky either. I have always cherished this as the "real" black and white, my father having been born in 1938, I figured he has the scoop on things. Everyone else always seemed to think that a black and white was vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and malt.

Well to determine how well that tasted, we ordered that as our second "black and white". Incidentally, before doing so another couple came in and ordered a black and white. Sure enough, they meant the vanilla ice cream, choc syrup.. So be it. Let me say, again in my opinion, my father's definition of the B&W is better. The popular rendition suffered from the chocolate syrup dominating the taste of the shake, tasing more like chocolate-milk flavored ice cream. My father's version has a much tighter taste to it. The chocolate of the ice cream is central, but its tempered by the vanilla syrup, which is enhanced by the malt powder. It was sublime at the Trout, and let me tell you, their hand shaven malt grains made the experience as authentic as one will find in the year 2003.

The egg cream was also good, although the mom didn't put enough seltzer in it and the seltzer wasn't cold enough to offset the sweetness of the syrup. But it was still very good. In my opinion, the old Excelsior Hotel on the upper west side, still there, but no longer sporting that excellent coffee shop at its floor level, well they made an even better egg cream..

Nonetheless, let me assure you, the Trout has come as close as one can expect to delivering the goods on a classic fountain shake. Served in a glass, alongside its tin, you're home free. Moreover, no offense the youthful workforce of our nation, but I'd much rather a man or woman over the age of 40 be making my malted shake, because they have some concept of what malt is.. They have some recollection of what these great treats once were commonplace.

They are waning, get them while you can.

Next time I will give my opinion on several other venues, but here are some previews of my overall impressions: Ellen’s Stardust (once great, no longer), The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (horrid milkshake at $6, no syrup, no malt, they use a blender), Uncle Louie G’s in Brooklyn (best “modern” shake I’ve found), the Milk Shake place on St. Marks (haven’t been yet, very skeptical), Cooper Sq. Diner (no good since the renovation and move across the St. several years ago)..

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Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

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Welcome to eGullet

I had a Classic Malted yesterday, but, alas, not in NYC. It was at the Charcoal Pit on Rt 202 in Wilmington DE. Just as you described and it was fabulous!

Surely a two hour drive is a pittance in a noble quest such as yours.

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

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First off, Welcome! Second, as an intrepid former hound, I figure you may be willing to make the trip for this, so I highly recommend Finks Funky Chicken & Ribs in River Edge, NJ (not too far from the GWB). In addition to great BBQ, they make a terrific shake, with or without malt powder, in a real milkshake maker. Yum.

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the Milk Shake place on St. Marks (haven’t been yet, very skeptical)

Don't bother wasting the $5. More here.

Do you have any thoughts on Comfort Diner? How about Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side, and Hinsch in Bay Ridge? Junior's?

And welcome.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Anticipating perhaps the next question, and for all you do-it-yourselfers out there - a retail source for Malted Milk Powder.

And from the FAQ on the same sight, most everything one needs to know about malted milk.

Edited by Holly Moore (log)

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

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Thanks for the links and the welcome :)

I had a Classic Malted yesterday, but, alas, not in NYC. It was at the Charcoal Pit on Rt 202 in Wilmington DE. Just as you described and it was fabulous!

Surely a two hour drive is a pittance in a noble quest such as yours.

Interesting, is Deleware only two hours from NYC? Guess its been a while since I travelled out of the city.. I will place it on my list though, thanks :)

I figure you may be willing to make the trip for this, so I highly recommend Finks Funky Chicken & Ribs in River Edge, NJ (not too far from the GWB). In addition to great BBQ, they make a terrific shake, with or without malt powder, in a real milkshake maker. Yum.

That's not too far at all actualy, thanks for the lead!

Welcome Don. And I hope the back is doing better. 

Touche! Alas, perhaps "I'll" come back and manage the yanks to winning glory sometime soon.. You know "I" will..

Don't bother wasting the $5. More here. Do you have any thoughts on Comfort Diner? How about Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side, and Hinsch in Bay Ridge? Junior's?

Thanks for the tip, I was uninspired upon several forays into the venue.. I could never get myself to go through with it there.. And on those other places, no thoughts as of yet, but thanks for throwing another handful of names on my list.. I will be headed to those places right quick for tastings :)

Tom's Restaurant has malteds on the menu. Shitty burger and fries, though.

And a final thank you to you for that lead. Next time I head out to the Library I'll stop at Tom's..

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I had a Classic Malted yesterday, but, alas, not in NYC. It was at the Charcoal Pit on Rt 202 in Wilmington DE. Just as you described and it was fabulous!

Surely a two hour drive is a pittance in a noble quest such as yours.

Interesting, is Deleware only two hours from NYC? Guess its been a while since I travelled out of the city.. I will place it on my list though, thanks :)

Just to be sure I just did a Mapquest:

125.94 Miles - 2 hrs. 5 minutes. Assumes the power is on and the tunnels are open. :smile:

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

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Under normal conditions, it's about 2:15 from the time you get out of the Lincoln tunnel on the New Jersey side, plus, for most people, a half hour or so to get to the tunnel and through it. Totally worth it for a good product.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I make them at home. Alas with a bar blender. One important ingredient is a hefty serving of Horlicks Malt Powder, far superior to Ovaltine, which should not be called malted. Generally I can only find Horlicks in Asian ethnic food shops, East, Southeast or South.

I did order one at Ben & Jerry's in Providence about a month ago. They did not put enough malted powder in.

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Hey Holly:

Are the milk shakes at Koch's deli made with malt powder? I know they use Breyer's ice cream and have a real milk shake machine, but I'm a little fuzzy on whether "malts" are available as opposed to a regular "milk shake". In either case, the shakes there are unbelieveably good. Thick enough to stand a long handled spoon in. YUM! I may have to go visit them tomorrow.... :biggrin:

Don:

If you still have any room on the way back from having your shake in Wilmington, Koch's deli is a short detour off of I-95 in Philadelphia. Well worth it too for the best deli sandwich, served by the nicest folks ever. Just be prepared to wait in line a while. But they'll serve you "samples" while you're waiting, and tell you jokes. This place is an institution. Holly's website has commentary about it. Any present or former Penn or Drexel student can wax poetic about this place for hours. One sandwich easily makes two meals for the average eater. Serious stuff and could give some of those New Yawk delis some competition.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
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If you're ever in Grand Rapids, MI (maybe during the next power grid failure :blink: ) you're welcome to join MatthewB (I assume -- I haven't asked him) and me for an A- malted at Bud's Hamburg, a little roadside shack that's stuck in a 50s time warp.

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No need to go to Delaware (of all places);

Super old-time milkshakes can be had at Eddie's Sweet Shop, Metropolitan Avenue and 72nd Rd. Forest Hills, Queens. It looks like a real old-fashioned ice cream parlor, lots of shiny chrome and seltzer from the tap. They use the real malted milk powder!!

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Duh, I totally neglected to mention Island Burgers & Shakes on Ninth Ave between 51 and 52. This place makes terrific shakes and malteds. Very limited choices. No metal cups. But spot-on consistency and flavor. Black-and-white malted highly recommended. And a trick I brainstormed with my shake-expert friend: stop by McDonald's and get one of their straws, because they're wider and better for shakes than the straws that any shake place provides.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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No need to go to Delaware (of all places);

Super old-time milkshakes can be had at Eddie's Sweet Shop, Metropolitan Avenue and 72nd Rd. Forest Hills, Queens.  It looks like a real old-fashioned ice cream parlor, lots of shiny chrome and seltzer from the tap.  They use the real malted milk powder!!

Does this topic make you nostalgic for Jahn's? (Or Addie Vallins!)

Edited by menton1 (log)
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  • 10 years later...

I was inspired to resurrect this discussion by a recent trip to State College, Pennsylvania, where I had the first malt I'd had in something like ten years. The place is a small, unassuming dairy at the edge of town called Meyer Dairy:

DSC_4443.jpg

 

They still sell milk in glass bottles here:

DSC_4446.jpg

 

And, of course, have an ice cream counter:

DSC_4449.jpg

 

The malt was terrific. I have no idea what brand of powder they are using, but they loaded up on it, there was no mistaking the flavor. I opted for a simple chocolate malt, and while I normally don't have much of a sweet tooth I make an exception for these things. Amazing.

 

Anyone else have reliable access to malts these days?

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

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One of my favorite things on earth. I used to love the ones at the newsstand on Avenue A just north of 7th St. Don't know if they're still any good.

 

[Also - amazing to see the history in the earlier posts in the thread… people MapQuesting to find distances! Long shuttered restaurants!]

Edited by patrickamory (log)
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Franklin fountain in Philadelphia makes a good one but there is no metal container and it is not served in a real glass. And it's pricey.

To buy malt you can find it at Wegmans in the ethnic aisle. You can also find it in other supermarkets with foods from Britain or the Commonwealth

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Boy, do I ever feel your pain.  Was commenting to someone just last week that I didn't understand how we got from a time when malted milks were so popular that there was a "malt shop" on practically every corner to a time when the majority of folks younger than what - forty? - don't seem to even know what a malted milk is. 

 

Only a few months back, at a local hamburger joint, while perusing the menu, I asked the counter girl, "Do you have malts?"  She said, "Yes, we do."  So I said, "Great. I'll have a small chocolate malt."

 

A few minutes later, she gave me my "malt" to suck on while I waited for my burger.  One long draw told me that was no malt.

 

"This isn't a malt," I said. 

 

"Yes it is."

 

"No, it isn't."

 

"Well, it's a chocolate milk shake. Same thing."

 

"No, it's not the same thing. A milk shake is a milk shake. And a malt is a malt. And this isn't a malt."

 

"Our manager says it's the exact same thing."

 

"In that case, you AND your manager are wrong. They're not the same thing."

 

Now I get a snotty look, and the irritated 'valley girl' accent, "Really? Then what's the difference?"

 

"A malt has, well, malt."

 

"What is malt?"

 

"Oh, forget it.  I'll just go suck on some Whoppers."

 

"Whoppers?  Is THAT malt?  I like Whoppers."

 

:blink:

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I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Chocolate syrup was always the default for everything. If you wanted anything else you had to specify, as in: "vanilla egg cream" rather than "egg cream." Same for a black & white malted, vanilla syrup is never a given even though you might like it better that way.

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I did order one at Ben & Jerry's in Providence about a month ago. They did not put enough malted powder in.

 

There's an easy enough solution to this unforgivable sin, which I learned back when I was about ten.

 

Every time you order a malted milk, you say, "with extra malt, please."

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Franklin fountain in Philadelphia makes a good one but there is no metal container and it is not served in a real glass. And it's pricey.

To buy malt you can find it at Wegmans in the ethnic aisle. You can also find it in other supermarkets with foods from Britain or the Commonwealth

Or visit a homebrew supply store.

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

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I used to make these with malted syrup

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=MALT+syrup&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb

 

it was some time ago and it came from an Natural store a few blocks away, way before natural became organic which became Whole Foods

 

i cant say if this is similar to powder.

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