The Shamrock Shake is McDonald’s iconic seasonal milkshake, brought back annually during the month of March in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. The shake was put on the McDonalds menu in 1970. McDonald’s was persistent with the sales of the Shamrock concept though and even tried selling varieties of the concept including The Chocolate Shamrock shake, The Shamrock Mocha and The Shamrock Hot Chocolate.

McDonald’s annual sale of the Shamrock Shake is a purposeful advertising move. If the shake was on the regular menu and served the whole year, it would not be as popular of a drink. This move, on the part of McDonald’s advertising team is a very good one, and McDonalds has been able to sell more than 60 million Shamrock Shakes since 1970.

With all the hype around the return of the Shamrock Shake, the expectation was that the drink would be life-changing. This was not the case. While the shake tasted okay, and had a very intriguing light-green color, topped with whipped cream, it definitely fell short of all the publicity and popularity it has somehow gained. Firstly, it had a very overshadowing mint-taste that did just not mesh well with the smooth vanilla flavor, that McDonald’s was trying to incorporate. Secondly, the whipped cream definitely lacked any volume and seemed to melt into the rest of the drink.

Although the marketing team at McDonald’s deserves some praise for all the exposure they have gained for the Shamrock Shake, the shake does not live up to to its great reputation.

Rating: 1/5 ⭐