The King's Page

San Marcos High School ~ Santa Barbara, CA

The King's Page

The King's Page

Shamrock Shake Debate

The Shamrock Shake has returned! Ever since March of 1970, McDonalds releases the minty and creamy shake for a limited time, and each year I do my best to get a Shamrock Shake every day of March, or at least until they are no longer available. So far I have been successful, and I do not plan on failure. 

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Shamrock Shakes usually release around St. Patrick’s Day every year, and recently even before. This year it was released on February 21, several weeks before St. Patrick’s Day. The tradition of St. Patrick’s Day is to wear green, and McDonalds followed suit with its light green tinted Shamrock Shake. Most green drinks require me to choke down some sort of rabbit food, but the ‘Shammer’ has a refreshing mint taste that compliments the rich ice cream and whipped cream. Some people say that Shammers are flavored with “leprechaun tears, pots of gold and a little bit of luck,” but in reality it is a rich and pillowy vanilla shake with a mint taste as well. However, the Shamrock Shake was not originally mint flavored. 

According to Mashed.com, upon its release in March of 1970, the Shamrock Shake was a letdown, just a vanilla shake with the tiniest bit of lemon-lime flavor. For 13 years, the Shamrock Shake was a bust, at least until someone thought it would be better for it to be mint flavored. Although this created the Shamrock Shake as we know it today, it disappeared throughout the 90s and 2000s. It finally made its way back to the seasonal menu and was made official in 2012. 

There has been recent controversy among the King’s Page staff members about whether or not a Shammer is as delicious as I believe. Senior Editor-In-Chief Victoria Leyva shares my love of Shamrock Shakes, and we have both been shredding through the Shamrock Shake stock at McDonalds. She said,  “Shamrock Shakes are the best thing St. Patricks Day has ever created,” proving that she does indeed share my love for Shammers. On the other hand, sophomore staff writer Sofia Kramer shared her review of Shamrock Shakes with a certain disdain. “These taste like toothpaste.” I understand her point of view, even though it is wrong. I love Shamrock Shakes, and I have no idea why anyone would disagree. They are perfectly made and anyone who does not appreciate them is unsophisticated and uneducated. 

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Shamrock Shake Debate