I debated whether I should even include this item in this blog. I mean, yes, I have purchased it in the past, and - technically - it is still available for purchase. You just might have a really tough time finding it - and will have to wait, oh, about a year for your next opportunity.
But in the end I decided, why the hell not. Because I really love Shamrock Shakes!
Yes, I am indeed talking about those nuclear green McDonald's milkshakes that appear only once a year in the weeks leading up to March 17th. At least they used to appear once a year - quite ubiquitously in fact - back in the 80's and early 90's. But nowadays, you may be hard-pressed to find these viridescent gloopy treats at your local McDick's. Not unlike those commercials that used to feature Ronald McDonald & friends, the Shamrock Shake has all but disappeared from our cultural menu board. So sad!However, internet rumours report sporadic SS sightings throughout the northeastern U.S., as well as parts of California, and there's even been an unconfirmed Canadian appearance in Coquitlam(?), British Columbia. The interest in this elusive triple-thick delight has become rampant enough to warrant a website solely dedicated to tracking these Shamrock sightings. So true!
But perhaps equally sad to this vanishing milkshake is the phasing out of the aforementioned McDonald's characters, in particular Uncle O'Grimacey, the Gaelic emerald cousin (uncle?) of everybody's beloved purple glob, Grimace.
Okay, so maybe my love of this minty bever-essert has more to do with nostalgia than delectable taste (don't get me wrong though, it is a whole bunch of yum). But like Christmas or my birthday, this is an annual event with cause for celebration. Give me a super-sized Shamrock Shake over a stein of green beer any St. Patrick's day!
Dent in your pay cheque:
$2.50-$3.50 (the price of a regular McDonald's milkshake!)
Ideal for:
milkshake fiends bored with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla; cultural connoisseurs of 80's kitsch; the (underaged) Irish
Look for it at:
unfortunately only very select McDonald's restos just prior to St. Patrick's Day -- but to aid you in your quest: www.shamrockshake.com
(In times of desperation, you can also try making your own knock-off Shamrock Shake with this recipe.)
* * *
P.S. Hey hey! I know there are a few of you lurkers out there who have yet to sign up as materialistic contributors to this blog. If you've "lost" the invitation I sent out a few weeks back, e-mail me and I'll send you out a new one. Don't be creepy...join us!
3 comments:
I love Shamrock shakes! Or at least I did, the last time I had one, which was probably sometime in the 80s. I'm actually writing to report (albeit a month too late) a Shamrock Shake sighting in the Dallas airport. I had no idea that they had become a rarity, or I would have indulged in one. Now I am kicking myself...
Dude, do you realize how close you were to being my Celtic heroine? Next year maybe.
Strolling past a McD's the other day, I saw in the window a poster ad for a Shamrock impostor! Thanks to a "Shrek the Third" tie-in, McD's has introduced a limited-time offer of a "Minty Mudbath" milkshake - which, I found out, is kind of like a "Shamrock Shake" put into overdrive. Obviously coaxed by the McD marketing gods (damn you!!), I admit to being immediately suckered into marching right in the restaurant and plopping down $3.50 for some of this greenish gloop.
So instead of a straight-up minty flavour, the "mudbath" part introduces also a hint of chocolate. Not a bad combination at all, I must admit. Very tasty in fact! Buuuuuut...being the traditionalist and nostalgia-freak that I am, this Shrek-inspired monstrosity feels (tastes?) like it's bullying itself into Uncle O'Grimacey's hallowed territory. Still, at the end of the day, anything to get McD's thinking about pairing "mint" with their milkshakes again - chain-wide - can only be a good thing!
Post a Comment