St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner which means Shamrock Shakes are back. This drink is a seasonal green shake made to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This sweet treat returned to McDonald’s fast-food restaurants on February 5th and will be available until the end of March. To show their festivity, many Benilde-St. Margaret’s students have made it a tradition to get a Shamrock Shake every March. However, not all students enjoy the taste of these seasonal shakes.
A Shamrock Shake is a combination of mint and vanilla flavors with a dollop of whipped cream on the top. Much like mint chocolate ice cream, the shake has a smooth, cold texture. The green color of the shake helps kickstart many people’s excitement and joy for St. Patrick’s Day. Many students say the feeling of drinking a Shamrock Shake is unmatched and enjoy the taste of the fresh, minty shake. “A Shamrock Shake satisfies your throat because it’s minty and really cold, and it gets me excited for St. Patrick’s Day and for Spring,” senior Maggie Mullin said.
However, not all students enjoy McDonald’s shakes. The minty, vanilla flavor isn’t for everyone and reminds some students of toothpaste and other oral hygiene products. The mint flavor is very refreshing and cool to some while others can’t stand the taste and think of the dentist while drinking it, making it very difficult to enjoy. “Shamrock Shakes don’t even taste like mint, they taste like straight toothpaste and I would rather have mint chocolate chip ice cream,” freshman Aida Parker said.
Although McDonald’s only offers Shamrock Shakes for St. Patrick’s Day, many Benilde-St. Margaret’s students think more items should be added to their seasonal menu. McDonald’s heavily promotes the Shamrock Shake every year, so offering a variety of seasonal items could draw in more customers. Such as adding more holiday-themed sweet treats, offering a new drink, or a St. Patrick’s Day-themed happy meal toy. “They could add a green cookie in the shape of a four-leaf clover, or add themed sprinkles, or dye their french fries green,” senior Erin Anderson said.
While McDonald’s, one of the most popular fast food restaurants, offers a St. Patrick’s Day treat, other restaurants do too. Similar to McDonald’s, Arby’s and Starbucks offer green, mint-themed drinks. Other places that sell baked goods, add holiday-themed sprinkles or frosting to their pastries. “Krispy Kreme donuts and Jerry’s sell holiday-themed donuts with sprinkles and green frosting during March,” Anderson said.