Introduced 1970 | Country United States | |
 | ||
Shamrock shake taste test
The Shamrock Shake is a seasonal green-dyed mint flavored milkshake dessert sold at McDonald's during March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Contents
- Shamrock shake taste test
- People try the shamrock shake for the first time
- Origin
- Advertising
- In popular culture
- References
People try the shamrock shake for the first time
Origin
The Shamrock Shake was first introduced in 1970. Rogers Merchandising in Chicago created the shake. Initially, the shake was lemon/lime flavored with vanilla ice cream, lemon/lime sherbet, and vanilla syrup. By 1973, the shake was merely a green colored vanilla shake, eliminating the lemon/lime sherbet. It is now mint flavored.
Shamrock Shakes are sold at all American and select Canadian stores during the months of February and March, as well as in Ireland.
Advertising
During the 1980s, McDonald’s used the Uncle O'Grimacey character to market Shamrock Shakes, but has since phased it out.
In 1980, McDonald's introduced the Shamrock Sundae which consisted of vanilla ice cream topped with a mint green Shamrock syrup. The product was discontinued after one year due to poor sales.
In 2017 McDonald's introduced a few variants of the Shamrock Shake including the Shamrock Chocolate Shake, the Shamrock Chocolate Chip Frappé, the Shamrock Mocha, and the Shamrock Hot Chocolate.
In popular culture
In The Simpsons episode "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot," Chief Wiggum and Lou debate whether the Shamrock Shake is just a vanilla shake dyed green, or if it is actually mint-flavored. Lou insists the chief only thinks he tastes the mint because the shake is green.