Just like Vegemite and Weetabix, Milo is a staple in the Australian pantries. The iconic and much-loved chocolate malt drink was first developed by chemical engineer, Thomas Mayne from Smithtown, New South Wales. Milo was then introduced to the public at the 1934 Sydney Royal Easter Show, and the rest is history.
The idea for Milo started during the great depression. Food and beverage giant Nestle, had a vision to develop a tonic drink that tasted good enough that children would eat it, whilst giving them the vitamins and minerals they needed, without costing families too much. The drink also had to be made from Australian ingredients.
Mayne, a trainee engineer at the time, was put to task and spent four years developing Milo.
It took him awhile to get to create a mix with vitamins and minerals that would dissolve when stirred, not just fall to the bottom of the glass.
One day, Mayne walked into his kitchen to discover his daughter, Margaret and her brother scooping the crunchy bits of Milo powder off the top of their drinks. It was then he realised that the crunch was not a problem, but a feature!
Is Milo healthy?
According to Milo Australia, the three main ingredients found in Milo are: malted barley, dried milk and cocoa. Milo is packed with carbohydrates, protein, fat, 6 types of vitamins (Vitamin B2, B3, B6, B12, C & D) and 3 types of minerals (Calcium, Iron & Phosphorus). Thus, the drink was named after Milo of Croton, a Greek wrestler who lived in the 6th Century BC and possessed legendary strength!
Classic Milo is not vegan. It contains three main ingredients, malt barley, milk powder, and sugar, along with a range of vitamins and minerals. However, they have a range called Milo Plant Based Energy which is vegan friendly.
Since caffeine is naturally occurring in cocoa, surprisingly Milo is not caffeine free! However, you'd need 92 cups of Milo to get the caffeine equivalent of one shot of espresso.
There are 151 calories in 1 cup (250 ml) of Milo.
There is nothing quite like sipping a cup of hot Milo on a wintry day! Milo is incredibly versatile and you can mix it with other beverages, not just milk! Here are some delicious Milo drink recipes for you to try out.
Milo Mocha
Combine the best of both worlds by adding some Milo to your morning latte. Imagine getting the buzz from all that caffeine without the sudden drop in energy levels later on!
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 tbsp Milo
- 1 coffee pod
- Hot water
- Full cream milk/milk alternative of choice
- Extra Milo to sprinkle on top of drink
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of Milo into mug
- Insert coffee pod into expresso machine and place mug
- Forth milk of choice
- Start the coffee machine and stop when the cup is 2/3 full
- Top the mixture up with generous amount of milk and a sprinkling of Milo
Milo Dalgona
Had you had enough of the Dalgona drink trend yet? Not us! For those for aren’t aware- dalgona coffee, a drink that was started in South Korea, had been the biggest drink trend to hit the internet during 2021. And while interest had waned in the recent months, we are absolutely excited to have stumbled across this delectable Milo dalgona recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 tbsp Milo
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ glass full cream milk or milk alternative of choice
- Ice
- Sugar to sweeten, optional
- Extra Milo to sprinkle on top of drink
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix the heavy whipping cream and Milo powder for about 3 minutes with a hand mixer. (If whisking by hand, whisk until soft peaks form)
- Pour ice and milk into a glass about 3/4 full
- Spoon the whipped Milo before sprinkling with some Milo powder on top.
Milo Dinosaur
Tourists are always tickled pink when they spot “Milo dinosaur” in a Malaysian or Singaporean restaurant menu.
The playfully named drink is a colonial legacy shared by the two countries’ kopitiam and mamak culture. It is often said that the drink got it namesake- “dinosaur” which suggests that there is a mountain of undissolved Milo powder added on a regular cup of iced Milo!
There is even a spin off to the popular drink- the “Milo Godzilla”, which is basically a cup of Milo with ice cream and/or topped with whipped cream.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 tbsp Milo
- 100ml hot water
- 3/4 - 1 tbsp sweetened creamer/condensed milk
- Ice
- 2-3 tbsp Milo for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix Milo powder and sweetened creamer/condensed milk along with hot water in a tall glass, stir until all the above ingredients are well mixed
- Top it up with ice cubes and give another quick stir
- Sprinkle ample amount of Milo powder over the drink
- Serve milo dinosaur chilled
Let the experimentation begin! We hope you have fun trying these simple Milo drink recipes as much as we did. Our team at Asian Pantry love seeing your creations so please don’t hesitate to tag us on Facebook and Instagram!
