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Lifestyle

Understanding The Unique Taste Of Shamrock Shakes

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Rutgers chapter.

Quick recap of the Shamrock Shake

The Shamrock Shake was created by Hal Rosen in 1967 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It was first introduced as a green shake flavored with mint syrup. It went through a journey of being lemon-lime flavored, to no flavor, to its current state of mint-flavored. It made the most sense to match the drink’s color to mint. I personally love the Shamrock Shake because I am a huge mint person. Mint chocolate, mint chip cookie, Shamrock Shake, you name it, and I will be eating it.

Is it mint or lemon-lime?

Many of my friends mentioned that it tastes like lemon-lime, although it is most definitely mint-flavored. They automatically assume it’s lemon-lime because it’s green. So, I went ahead and asked a worker what the flavor of the shake was. He responded, “mint,” and I proved to my friends that I knew what mint tasted like.

Shake vs. McFlurry

This year, McDonald’s released the Shamrock Shake and Oreo Shamrock McFlurry. I have only tried the shake in previous years, which has always tasted super minty. This year, I changed things up and tried the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry, which was amazing! It included the perfect amount of mint syrup, and the Oreo bits are the perfect addition to the McFlurry. From now on, I will continue to choose the McFlurry over the shake because the Oreo adds to the experience.

The Shamrock Season usually lasts until St. Patrick’s Day, so grab one for yourself before the season ends! If you miss it, do not fear it will return next year around February.

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Shelby Han

Rutgers '26