I’ve always fancied myself a milkshake fanatic. So, when Cook Out opened locations in Georgia offering 40 flavors of milkshakes, I realized I had finally found my Mecca. I tried several of their milkshakes, each being phenomenal. But, for the sake of science, I strong-armed a few friends into spending a Saturday afternoon trying every single shake the Cook Out down the street had to offer.
Photo by Duane Stanford
Before anyone freaks out, yes, technically there are more than 40 flavors across locations, however these were the flavors available to us at that specific time. We created a bracket and, after five rounds, we determined which milkshake was the best. Here are our findings.
Photo courtesy of Duane Stanford
Round One: Initial Taste
Our first round was simple. What does the milkshake taste like? Though this only eliminated half of our contenders, some patterns already began to appear. For instance: Every cheesecake shake (blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip) was eliminated in round one. Proving that, unlike slutty brownies, two great desserts don’t always mix well. R.I.P Strawberry Cheesecake, we will always remember you.
Judge favorites after round 1:
- Mocha
- Banana Cobbler
- Oreo Mint
Photo courtesy of Duane Stanford
Round 2: Texture
When we began, there were seven of us. By round two, seven became five. Pro tip: trying 40 different shakes back-to-back is not for the faint of heart. The second round was dominated primarily on the texture of the shake. We found that thinner shakes performed better, thus knocking out thick shakes such as Walnut and Chocolate Cherry.
Judge favorites after round 2:
- Reese’s
- Strawberry
- Mint Chocolate Chip
Photo courtesy of Duane Stanford
Round Three: Endurance
Our criterion: Could the shake last an entire meal? A simple enough question however, as our morale disappeared round three quickly turned into a heated debate. The sugar had no doubt gotten the better of us, but we all agreed that the Mint Chocolate Chip shake was… a revelation.
Judge favorites after round 3:
- Oreo Mint
- Strawberry
- Mint Chocolate Chip
Photo courtesy of Duane Stanford
Round Four: Suck-ability
I’m not going to lie, this round was a real struggle. By now we had each eaten eighteen individual spoonfuls of banana flavored shakes. Our future looked yellow and bleak. The only true remaining test we had left was whether the milkshake’s ingredients made it easy to suck through a straw or difficult. In honor of their valiant effort, here are the milkshakes that made it to the top 5:
- Strawberry
- Banana Cobbler
- Banana Split
- Oreo Mint
- Mint Chocolate Chip
Round Five: The Finale
By now half of us were on the floor in the fetal position. Tasting 40 shakes requires stamina, dedication, and tolerance to lactose. Traits which, by the end, we all began to doubt we possessed.
Alas, two shakes remained. As we reached the final round, the two shakes left standing included a crowd favorite and a dark horse. Because who doesn’t love a Cinderella story? The finalists were Oreo Mint and Strawberry. Oreo Mint had come out at the top of the pack each and every round, while humble Strawberry went undetected, winning each bout with a quiet elegance.
The Winner: Oreo Mint
While everyone agreed that the Strawberry shake was delightfully refreshing, ultimately the winner of our hearts was Oreo Mint. So, the next time you stop by a Cook Out I can say with 100% certainty that you cannot go wrong with an Oreo Mint shake. Don’t believe me? You try all 40 flavors and get back to me. In the meantime, I’ll be here drinking nothing but water for the next few months.