OPINION: The Shamrock Shake: Why McDonald’s seasonal green milkshake is more than just that (2024)

FAQs

Why do people like the Shamrock Shake? ›

The minty, vanilla flavor of the Shamrock Shake is so different from any other shake a fast food place serves. Its uniqueness on its own makes the Shamrock Shake special. No other shake in the fast food realm can even come close to a similar taste.

The Shamrock Shake was created in 1967 by a Connecticut McDonald's owner and operator, and it debuted three years later nationwide. It started out as a lemon-lime flavored milkshake, but in 1973, the fast-food stop decided to make it a vanilla milkshake with a mint flavor and green coloring.

It's the cheapest, it has the chocolate drizzle, and it's just as good. There's no denying that the Shamrock Shake has a more minty kick, though, so if that's your major deciding factor, it's the way to go.

Shamrock Shake Ingredients

Mint extract: Mint extract gives the shake its signature minty freshness. It packs a powerful punch, so use the extract sparingly. Food coloring: About nine drops of green food coloring will dye your milkshake a gorgeous emerald hue.

A shamrock is a type of clover, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name shamrock comes from Irish seamróg ([ˈʃamˠɾˠoːɡ]), which is the diminutive of the Irish word seamair and simply means "young clover".

In a small Shamrock Shake from McDonald's, there are 500 calories, 14 grams of fat, 82 grams of carbs and 63 grams of sugar. That's just a small. The large has 800 calories and 103 grams of sugar. But fear not, fellow sweet tooth sufferers: Here's a healthier version that you can make at home!

The Shamrock Shake is a seasonal green mint flavored milkshake dessert sold at some McDonald's restaurants during March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the US, Canada and Ireland.

As the story goes, Rosen debuted his Shamrock Shake at a location in Enfield, Connecticut, before sharing the idea with other local franchises. Upon its national debut in 1970, it was “an instant success,” according to McDonald's. Its sales are even credited with funding the very first Ronald McDonald House in 1974.

In the early days of Ireland, Celtic priests known as Druids carried three-leaf clovers, or shamrocks, in the belief that with their help, they could see evil spirits approaching and be able to escape. Four-leaf clovers, then, were Celtic charms, offering magical protection and warding off bad luck.

"The Shamrock Shake has been around since 1970, and it has managed to gain quite a cult following. According to the Huffington Post, McDonald's has sold more than 60 million Shamrock Shakes over the years. But, according to Vox, the Shamrock Shake wasn't always the minty, creamy concoction so many know and love today.

What is the McDonald's Shamrock Shake supposed to taste like? ›

Later commercials more openly advertised the shake's minty flavor. (In the early '80s, McDonald's even pushed a Shamrock Sundae featuring green minty syrup.) And today, McDonald's is still touting the periodic popularity of its mint-flavored shake — now often sold alongside the relatively new Oreo Shamrock McFlurry.

McDonald's Shamrock Shake and Shamrock McFlurry return for 2024. The Shamrock Shake officially returned to McDonald's menu on February 5. Accompanied by its seasonal sibling, the Shamrock McFlurry, the neon treat is the Golden Arches's yearly ode to St. Patrick's Day.

The Shamrock Shake is a beautiful mix of vanilla milkshake and a minty extract, and it's so simple yet so good. If you want to take it to the next level, you can get the Shamrock Oreo McFlurry. Some even say that this is better than a mint Oreo blizzard from DQ, and I believe it.

Quick recap of the Shamrock Shake

It was first introduced as a green shake flavored with mint syrup. It went through a journey of being lemon-lime flavored, to no flavor, to its current state of mint-flavored. It made the most sense to match the drink's color to mint.

The First Shamrock Shake

The celebrated drink got its start as the “St. Patrick's Day Green Milkshake,” created in 1967 by Connecticut McDonald's owner and operator, Hal Rosen . It wasn't until three years later in 1970 that corporate made the decision to debut the “Shamrock Shake” in select locations across the US.

By 1973, the shake was merely a green colored vanilla shake, eliminating the lemon/lime sherbet. It is now mint flavored. Shamrock Shakes are sold at select U.S. and Canadian stores during the months of February and March, as well as in Ireland.