Saturday 3 November 2007

Mmmmmmmmmilkshakes!

I'm not normally one for guzzling down too much milk. Sure I have it in coffee, and I have the occasional glass of Milo, but I can easily go a week without consuming more than 500mL of the stuff. Likewise, I'm never really tempted to order a milkshake when out. Unless the magic word "spearmint" appears in the title.

After that, the chances of me *not* ordering it are slim to none.

Ok I must come clean, I'm just generally a mint hussy. And normally the mintier something is, the better*. But somehow spearmint - the milder cousin of peppermint - works best in these shakes. It gives it a light and sweet taste, that combined with soft bubbles of milk is just pure delight to imbibe.

Unfortunately a spearmint milkshake is not that easy to come by. After more than half a decade's searching, I can still count on one hand the number of establishments I know that serve them. And now that Poppies of Stanmore has closed down, the number within a 20km radius of my house is now zero.

I was once so desperate to obtain some spearmint milk that I cajoled my mother into visiting a wholesale confectioner in her city, and allowing them to sell her a 2L bottle of the mint-flavoured syrup. She succeeded, and that bottle kept us in good supply of milkshakes for well over a year. After that bottle though, our source literally dried up.

When I visited Broken Hill at the end of last year I was delighted to visit Bells Milk Bar; a 50s style milk bar serving a massive variety of flavoured milkshakes.


Image from www.bellsmilkbar.com.au.

I was even more delighted to discover that spearmint was one of those flavours.

Spearmint milkshake

I was even more delighted to discover that they sold bottles of their homemade syrups, which I promptly bought. I am ashamed to say that for nearly a year this bottle sat atop my desk, unopened.

Spearmint milkshake

But today something cracked, and I decided a spearmint milkshake was in order.

Perhaps it was my anticipation in going to Melbourne next weekend to visit A, and knowing that one of the few reliable spearmint sources resides at the Queen Vic markets there. Perhaps it was just time I cleaned up my desk. Either way, it tasted great. And made me keen to seek out another source for when this 250mL bottle runs out.

If you know of one, please do let me know!!



* The only occasion this has even been shown not to be true is when I accidentally bought mint flavoured water in China. It tasted like I was drinking toothpaste backwash.

9 comments:

Mary said...

Bwahaha, I am a mint whore too! Yesterday I was desperate and walked into Gloria Jeans. I was saddened to find NO Mint Chocolate Bomb on the menu but I asked anyway and they still make them!! Just not on the menu? I needed that minty fix and yes, I ask for extra minty stuff :-)

I love spearmint tea but usually have to go for peppermint. I am looking forward to Melbourne too for a couple of tea places we don't have up here. Whoot!

Sarah said...

I love mint, though I can't recall ever having a spearmint milkshake. Sounds divine! I had a chocolate milkshake before but it was pretty average.
I'll have to check out that cafe if I'm ever in Broken Hill. It looks great, loving the decor.

Apple2Hourglass said...

Toothpaste backwash!! hehe
I loved spearmint milkshakes when I was a kid, it was the ONLY flavour to have as far as I was concerned!
Bri

yublocka said...

So glad to see there are other spearmint lovers out there!

B, where do you get your fix now?

Anonymous said...

oh wow! i am a food adventurer and while in a small cafe near my home on the central coast i came across a spearmint milkshake on the menu and had to try it. it was delicious! i have a horrible memory so i cant remember where i got it :( oh well i be searching....

yublocka said...

Mmmmm yum, anon! If you do re-find your source on the Central coast I'd be keen to hear about it. I head up that way every now and again myself!!

heFf said...

Bells Milk Bar was one of my favourite places to go growing up, their milkshakes are great, but i think their spiders are about 10 times better, nothing beats a nice sarsaparilla spider on a nice summers day =]

i still go back there everytime i go back home to broken hill.

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