Shamrock Shake Facts & Trivia

My third shake of the season…

I do believe I’m one of the first people to ever try a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. I grew up in East Hartford Connecticut and my Dad loved mint everything mint. As a little girl going to McDonald’s was a treat, not an every day occurrence. Until we were ten we were not allowed to drink pop or soda so my parents ordered shakes for us at McDonald’s.

Normally I got strawberry, but I have vague memories of drinking from my Dad’s straw a tangy green shake, and later it was a yearly trip to get a green shake. There was a pony ride in Enfield during the 1970′s and we would stop at the local Mickey D’s for french fries and a shake.

Here are a few facts and trivia about the Shamrock Shake.

1. Invented at an Enfield Connecticut McDonald’s  in 1966 (although the McDonald’s website claims 1970)
2. First called the St Patrick’s Day Green Milkshake
3. Started selling nationally in 1970 in response to a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser
4. Calorie Content: 420, Small, 740 Medium, 820 Large (but who really cares?)
5. Large Shamrock shake provides up to 60% of your daily calcium requirement (oh yeah!)
6. Available only for a limited time around St. Patrick’s Day
7. A Shamrock sundae was proposed and tried in 1980, but was a failure (wonder why?)
8. You can post  Shamrock Shake sightings and  reviews at  Shamrock Shake Locator

This year the Shamrock Shake phenomenon and cult following has taken to Twitter with a photo contest on Twitter sponsored by the Branford Patch. Here are the rules according to their website

1. Follow @McD_CTWMA on Twitter
2. Make sure your account is set to public so we can follow you back
3. Watch for weekly ‘Caption That Shamrock Shake’ photos
4. Submit your caption, tag @McD_CTWMA, and include #CaptionThatShamrockShake hashtag
5. At the end of each week in March we will choose a winner for a $25 Arch Card
6. At the end of March we will choose a grand prize winner for a $50 Arch Card

If you can’t find a Shamrock shake at your local Mickey D’s, or it’s not  St. Patricks  season, here is a recipe to make your own minty shake. But, it’s not the same memory or experience. There is just something about those McDonalds straws and sharing with your Dad when you’re six you can’t duplicate.

Shamrock Shake recipe

* 2 cups vanilla ice cream
* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 cup half & half
* 1/2 teaspoon mint extract (spearmint, not peppermint)
* 8 drops green food coloring

Related articles

• Controversial Shamrock Shake Origin
• Shamrock Shake Lip Gloss (really!?)
• Homemade Shamrock Shake (toughwords.wordpress.com)
• It’s Time for a Shamrock Shake (3QuartersToday.com)
• Gotta Have a Shamrock Shake (3QuartersToday.com)

Tags: fast food, Food, Holiday, mcdonald, memories, milk shake, milkshake, restaurants, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrock shake, St Patricks Day, Twitter