The venerable Shamrock Shake has returned to McDonald’s restaurants as of Thursday, February 1, 2018; but if you take a look at the official Internet web site of the tasty frosty treat, you will notice that…
Shamrock Shakes Return in 2018 — But…
…the lone shake is standing by itself.
In addition to the original Shamrock Shake last year, four additional beverages which had been badged with the Shamrock moniker were introduced to the McCafé lineup — including a Chocolate Shamrock Shake; a Shamrock Chocolate Chip Frappe; a Shamrock Hot Chocolate; and a Shamrock Mocha. They are nowhere to be found this year.
Valentine’s Day is still ten days away; and yet the arrival of Saint Patrick’s Day meant that — for several weeks beforehand and for as long as I can remember — the Shamrock Shake returned to McDonald’s restaurants for a limited time in the northeastern United States where I was born and raised. I am not sure if that was a local occurrence; but Shamrock Shakes — those frosted green minty treats which have been sold by McDonald’s since 1970 — have since been available in other parts of the United States for years.
You can read this article pertaining to my experience from last year when I decided to purchase two small Shamrock Shakes: the original version and the chocolate mint version. At that time, they cost $1.99 each for the small size; but they are also available in the medium and large sizes. I do not know how much they cost in 2018.
Summary
I remember a time when a Shamrock Shake did not include whipped cream or cherries — but that was when they were served in large waxed paper cups with a plastic top and not in clear plastic cups.
There are recipes available throughout the Internet on how to create a version of the original Shamrock Shake at home — especially as they are not available all year round at McDonald’s for some reason. McDonald’s is not necessarily what first comes to mind if one has a craving for a delicious thick shake; but I have always enjoyed the Shamrock Shake — even though I usually purchase one only once every few years.
As the chocolate version of the Shamrock Shake is basically the addition of the chocolate shake on the bottom layer to the mint on the top layer, I cannot imagine why an employee at McDonald’s could not fulfill a similar request with either vanilla or strawberry added to the mint instead of chocolate — or perhaps in addition to the chocolate — even though they are not officially on the menu. You should be able to try the chocolate version of the Shamrock Shake even though it is not officially a part of the menu in 2018.
If you are interested in enjoying a Shamrock Shake, be aware that not all McDonald’s locations have them yet — or possibly at all — as only participating locations will have them in stock.
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
