The Fan Favorite Shamrock Shake makes an early return to local McDonalds

Today feels like a lucky Day! It’s not even Valentine’s Day and Shamrock shake fans are already clamoring for the McDonald’s St. Patrick’s treat.  While usually Shamrock Shake enthusiasts have to wait until the end of February for the sweet treat, McDonald’s has announced that it has officially been added to its menu this week along with the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry.

Created in the late 1960s by a Connecticut franchise owner it was quickly rolled out nationwide by 1970 and has been a St. Patrick’s Day staple ever since. However, it appears the original recipe was different, involving a combination of lemon-lime sherbet, vanilla ice cream, and vanilla syrup, dyed green for the holiday.  By the 1973 McDonald’s was advertising a vanilla milkshake with green coloring before eventually adopting its signature mint flavoring in 1983.

If you can’t get to McDonald’s but still need your Shamrock Shake, a copycat recipe is circulating on the Internet and you only need four ingredients. 2 cups of vanilla ice cream, 1 and ¼ cups of milk, ¼ teaspoon of mint extract and 8 drops of green food coloring. Just be sure to use mint and not peppermint. Blend the ingredients, add whipped cream and a cherry and you are ready to celebrate the return of the Shamrock Shake from home.  

What restaurant recipe would you most like to have?