The Real History of Orange Julius

And the secret ingredient for a spot-on DIY version

Actress Pamela Searle poses as she gets an Orange Julius in Los Angeles circa 1959. Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

A recent column in The Wall Street Journal — “Build a Smoother Smoothie. You’ve Earned It” — offers a rum cocktail version of the sherbet-ey Orange Julius, citing a Los Angeles orange juice salesman named Julius Freed as the inventor of the original drink. Having spent several years mulling over the history of this…