The Inventors: James & William Horlick

The protagonists are two English brothers, James and William Horlick, from Gloucestershire. James, a pharmacist, emigrated to the United States in 1869 and saw the challenges of urban industrialization, including malnutrition and digestive problems, especially in children. William later joined him, and in 1873, they founded "J & W Horlick" in Chicago, initially producing a patented, dried infant food called "Diastoid."

The "Eureka" Moment: Malted Milk

While infant formulas existed, they often spoiled quickly or were hard to digest. The Horlick brothers experimented with a groundbreaking combination:

1. Malted Barley: Using the process of malting (germinating and drying grain), they extracted digestible sugars and vitamins.

2. Wheat Flour: For additional nutrients.

3. Powdered Whole Milk: This was the true innovation. At the time, milk was a major source of foodborne illness. By combining pasteurized milk with the malted grains and evaporating it into a dry powder, they created a shelf-stable, nutritious, and safe product.

In 1883, they successfully patented this new product, calling it "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food." It was the world's first "malted milk" powder.

From Hospital to Home (and the Poles)

Its initial market was exactly as intended: infants, invalids, and hospitals. But its portability and nutritional density soon found a wider audience:

• Explorers & Adventurers: This was a key turning point. Polar explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott took Horlicks on their expeditions to the Antarctic. The "Scott's Last Expedition" inventory famously listed cases of Horlicks. This association with heroic exploration provided incredible marketing cachet, rebranding it as a strength-giving drink for active men.

• The Workplace: Factories and night-shift workers adopted it as a sustaining hot drink.

• The Pharmacy: It was sold as a digestive aid and nutritive tonic.

The Name Evolves, and a Ritual is Born

As its use for adults soared, the "Infant and Invalids" part was quietly dropped. By the early 20th century, it was simply "Horlicks Malted Milk."

A critical cultural shift happened in the UK and, most significantly, in India (introduced by British colonial forces), where it became embedded in daily ritual. People discovered that drunk warm before bed, it was soothing, lightly nutritious, and seemed to promote sleep. The "Horlicks at bedtime" tradition was born, transforming it from a medical or expeditionary food into a comforting domestic staple, marketed heavily as "The Great Night Drink."

Key Innovations and Legacy

• Shelf-Stable Nutrition: It solved a major problem of its era.

• The "Malted Milk" Genre: It created an entirely new category of beverage, leading to countless imitators.

• Global Brand, Local Love: While it declined in its birthplace (the US), it became a cultural institution in the UK, India, and other Commonwealth nations. In India, it became synonymous with family care, exam-time stamina, and maternal affection, famously tagged as the "Drink of Experts."

In summary, Horlicks was invented by the Horlick brothers in 1883 as a digestible, shelf-stable infant and invalid food, combining malted barley with powdered milk. Its journey from hospital shelves to polar expeditions, and finally to the bedside table, is what turned this scientific invention into a beloved, comforting ritual for generations.

Country of Origin: England
Net Weight: 400g