Spearmint Milk: Australia's Creamy Drink That's Bursting With Flavor
It's no secret that chocolate milk just hits the spot differently. Equally as tasty and nostalgic is the classic strawberry milk and there have been many other unique flavors that have surfaced in the past. For dairy lovers, it's typical to discover new milk flavors that are dessert-adjacent, such as vanilla or even pumpkin pie-flavored milk. Outside the realm of purely sweet-tasting milk is Western Australia's spearmint milk which has a dedicated following of its own. Non-Aussies might look at the green carton and question why such a thing was brought into existence but it's apparently pretty refreshing.
The company that came up with this minty mashup is Masters and you can only find it in the state of Western Australia. It's the largest flavored milk company in the country and has been concocting its iconic dairy products for nearly a century. You can't miss the huge M slapped on every Masters milk carton when you're perusing the freezer aisles of WA stores, which reads like "mmm" when multiple cartons are lined up together. Just be sure not to confuse Masters with Big M, another flavored milk brand with basically the same logo that's owned by the same dairy company, The Bega Group.
Master's spearmint milk may seem like an anomaly, conjuring images of half-squeezed toothpaste tubes and sticks of gum. However, according to fans from Western Australia who have been enjoying it for decades, drinking spearmint-flavored milk was just as common as chocolate milk brands.
Masters spearmint milk gets more hype than the others
Although the established dairy company has rolled out several other milk flavors like strawberry and iced coffee, spearmint is something of a local star in Western Australia. "A true WA legend through and through," reads the caption of a viral Instagram video posted by Masters. The comments are filled with a mixture of excited fans, skeptics, and some Aussies who weren't aware that spearmint milk wasn't actually sold everywhere.
"Spearmint is the bomb, especially a spearmint thick shake," one person confirms, while another jokes, "I'm a Canadian and I'm offended that Australia isn't sharing this magical-looking drink." Other videos on the brand's accounts showcase interesting recipe ideas like combining its spearmint milk with matcha for a doubly green treat. If you ever get the chance to try it, there are several desserts you could blend it into like milkshakes and other minty recipes.
Masters' social media presence includes loads of meme-centric posts, having giant cows for mascots, and cultivating generally light-hearted vibes. In 2015, Masters' social media campaign's creative director at Gatecrasher said the cows, which are color coordinated to match Masters' milk flavors, "don't take themselves too seriously and represent the brand values of laddish humour and mateship." The spearmint flavor is intriguing enough to have us wishing we could clink cartons with our mates someday.