With March coming to an end, the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is sadly fading away. If you haven’t had at least 5 shamrock shakes this March- I cannot relate. So, I am here to tell you all about the shamrock shake and why you need to get one before your time is up!
This fad of green colored Saint Patrick’s Day shake started in 1970 with Rogers Merchandising in Chicago. Originally, the shake was made with a lemon/lime flavored vanilla ice cream, lemon/lime sherbet, and vanilla syrup. Now, people know the shake for its minty taste and ever-green swirls.
You may ask, what is in a shamrock shake? The main 3 ingredients advertised are reduced fat vanilla ice cream, shamrock shake syrup, and whipped light cream. BUT in reality, the ingredients list is quite a bit longer: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Yellow 5, Blue 1. May contain small amounts of other shake flavors served at the restaurant, including egg ingredients when Egg Nog Shakes are available, Cream, Nonfat Milk, Liquid Sugar, contains 2% or Less: Mono and Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan, and whipping Propellant.
Yeah, that’s A LOT! But now you know what you are getting yourself into. A sweet treat that packs 800 calories in every 22-ounce serving. That is the definition of treating yourself, but I can assure you it’s worth it.
According to eatocracy, since the shamrock shake debut in 1970, over 60 million shakes have been served. So needless to say, the minty green shake that hits McDonald’s once a month every year is an epidemic.
That is what makes these sweet treats so appealing, the wait for them and the hunt for them. Everyone always wants what they can’t have so when people can get their hands on these shakes they NEED them! The shake is available at certain McDonald’s locations for the month leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and through the end of March. For people who sometimes need the minty goodness in their lives more than once a month (like myself) there is such a thing as the shamrock shake finder which you can use here: http://shamrockshake.com This year McDonald’s even took the hunt a step further and added an app for the shamrock shake lovers so they could locate each participating McDonald’s selling the shakes.
Needless to say the shamrock shake is delicacy, and should be appreciated not just in March, but every month. If you haven’t treated yourself to one this March, you still have time to fall in love with this minty treat. Until next year shamrock shakes. Xoxo