All About Horlicks: Britain's Classic Malted Milk Drink

Horlicks is a malted milk drink made mainly from wheat and malted barley, with milk powders and added vitamins and minerals. Two brothers from Gloucestershire invented it in America in the 1870s. It was made in Slough for 110 years, and today it is the UK's leading malt drink. This guide covers what is in Horlicks, where it came from, how the three versions differ and how to make each one.

Horlicks at a Glance

• What it is: a malted milk powder that you mix into a hot drink.

• Main ingredients: wheat and malted barley, which make up 72% of Horlicks Original.

• Versions: Original (made with milk), Instant and Chocolate (both made with water).

• First made: 1873, in Chicago, by William and James Horlick.

• Made in Slough: from 1908 until the factory closed in 2018.

• Owner: Aimia Foods, which bought the brand in 2018.

• Allergens: contains milk, wheat and barley. It is not gluten free.

What Is Horlicks?

Horlicks is a powdered malted milk drink. Malting means soaking grain until it starts to sprout, then drying it. The process turns some of the starch in the grain into sugars, and those sugars give malt its sweet, biscuity taste. Horlicks combines malted barley and malted wheat with wheat flour, milk powders and a vitamin and mineral mix.

You stir the powder into hot milk or hot water, depending on the version. The result is a warm, creamy drink with a mild malty flavour.

Where Did Horlicks Come From?

The story starts in the Forest of Dean. William and James Horlick grew up in Ruardean, Gloucestershire, and both moved to the United States. In 1873 they started making a malted food in Chicago, sold at first as a food for infants and people who were unwell. Its early names included "Diastoid" and "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food". The drink formula that Horlicks is known for today arrived in 1883.

James returned to Britain and opened a London office in 1890 to handle imports from America. In 1906 he bought land from Eton College in Slough, and the Horlicks factory opened there in 1908. The Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group's history of the factory records that it cost £28,000 to build and was producing around 14 million kilograms of Horlicks a year by the late 1950s.

Horlicks even has a place on the map of Antarctica. The company sponsored an explorer, and in 1930 he named an Antarctic mountain after it.

During the Second World War, compressed Horlicks tablets went into emergency supplies. The Imperial War Museum holds an RAF emergency and escape ration pack from that period, and Horlicks tablets are listed among its contents.

The Beecham Group bought Horlicks in 1969, and the brand later passed to GlaxoSmithKline. In 2018, Aimia Foods, a UK drinks manufacturer and the parent company of Caffé Prima, bought the Horlicks brand. The Slough factory closed the same year, and the site is now being turned into housing, with the clock tower and chimney kept. Horlicks sold in India is a separate business with a different owner, so everything in this guide refers to the UK product.

What Is in Horlicks?

These are the ingredients of Horlicks Original, as listed by the brand:

Wheat 41% (wheat flour and malted wheat), malted barley 31%, dried whey (milk), calcium carbonate, dried skimmed milk, sugar, palm oil, salt, anti-caking agent (E551), vitamin mix (vitamin C, niacin, vitamin E, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin D, vitamin B12), ferric pyrophosphate, zinc oxide.

Most of those names are simpler than they look. Calcium carbonate is a source of calcium. Ferric pyrophosphate adds iron, and zinc oxide adds zinc. E551 is silicon dioxide, which stops the powder clumping. The milk in Horlicks Original comes from dried whey and dried skimmed milk.

Horlicks Original Nutrition

The brand gives these figures for Horlicks Original. The serving figures are for 25g of powder made up with 200ml of semi-skimmed milk.

The brand also lists vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, biotin, pantothenic acid and zinc. Check the label on your tin for the full table, since recipes can change.

What Is the Difference Between Horlicks Original, Instant and Chocolate?

All three versions are made from malted wheat and barley. The main difference is what you mix them with.

Horlicks Original

Original is the classic version, and it is made with hot milk. The powder is richest in malt, at 41% wheat and 31% malted barley. Because you make it with milk, a mug of Original has more calories than the other two, at 182kcal per serving.

Horlicks Instant

Instant has more milk powder in the recipe, so you only need hot water. A serving uses 32g of powder in 200ml of water and comes to 115kcal, with 14.8g of sugars. It suits anyone who does not keep milk to hand, and it also comes in single-serve sachets. Horlicks Instant sachets hold one 32g serving each, 30 to a box.

Horlicks Chocolate

Chocolate adds fat-reduced cocoa powder (6.6%) to the malt base. It is also made with hot water, using 32g of powder in 200ml. A serving comes to 119kcal and 15.4g of sugars. The taste sits between a malted drink and a light hot chocolate. It is sold in single-serve Horlicks Chocolate sachets too.

How Do You Make Horlicks?

Horlicks Original With Hot Milk

Put 3 to 4 teaspoons (25g) of Horlicks in a mug. Heat 200ml of milk, pour it over the powder and stir well. Mixing the powder with a splash of the milk first, to make a paste, helps stop lumps forming. Use a little more powder for a stronger malt taste, or a little less for a lighter drink.

The brand also gives a microwave method. Add 200ml of cold milk to the powder in a microwave-safe mug and heat it for 1 minute at 800W. Stir well, heat for another 30 seconds, then stir again.

Horlicks Instant and Chocolate With Hot Water

Use 4 to 5 teaspoons (32g), or one sachet, in a mug. Pour in 200ml of hot water and stir well.

Cold Horlicks

Horlicks Original also works as a cold drink. Add cold milk to 3 to 4 teaspoons of powder, mix it in a blender or shaker, and serve it over ice.

Is Horlicks Good for You?

Horlicks is a sweet milky drink with added vitamins and minerals. The facts on the label give a clearer answer than a simple yes or no.

Vitamins and Minerals

Horlicks has a vitamin and mineral mix added during manufacture. The Original recipe lists 11 vitamins plus calcium, iron and zinc.

Sugar and Calories

One serving of Original made with semi-skimmed milk contains 19.2g of sugars. About half of that comes from the powder, which contains 9.8g of sugars per 25g. The rest comes from the natural sugar in the milk. Instant and Chocolate contain 14.8g and 15.4g of sugars per serving, respectively.

A mug of Original made with semi-skimmed milk has 182kcal. Using skimmed milk lowers that figure, and whole milk raises it.

Allergens

Horlicks contains milk, wheat and barley. It is not suitable for people with a milk allergy or coeliac disease.

How Should You Store Horlicks?

Keep the lid closed tightly between uses and store the tin or jar in a cool, dry cupboard. Malted powder draws in moisture from the air, which makes it clump and harden. Always use a dry spoon for the same reason.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Horlicks gluten free?

No. Horlicks contains wheat and malted barley, and both contain gluten. Coeliac UK's guide to grains lists barley, including malted drinks made with malted barley, as not gluten free.

Does Horlicks contain caffeine?

Horlicks Original contains no coffee, tea or cocoa, so none of its ingredients are sources of caffeine. Horlicks Chocolate contains cocoa powder, and cocoa naturally contains a small amount of caffeine.

Can you make Horlicks Original with water?

The brand's instructions for Original use hot milk. Horlicks Instant and Chocolate are the versions designed for hot water, because they already contain more milk powder.

Who owns Horlicks?

Aimia Foods has owned the Horlicks brand since 2018. Aimia is a UK food and drink manufacturer and also owns Caffé Prima. Before that, Horlicks belonged to Beecham and then GlaxoSmithKline.

Where can I buy Horlicks?

Caffé Prima sells the Horlicks Original 2kg tin, which makes around 80 mugs, and boxes of 30 Instant or Chocolate sachets, all in the Horlicks collection. There is no minimum order, and delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £45.