How To Make Your Own Damn Shamrock Shake

Kristen Aiken and Eva Hill
Updated

Since its inception in 1970,more than 60 million McDonald's Shamrock Shakeshave been sucked into America's faces through the hollows of those far-too-thin plastic straws. The Shamrock Shake is minty. It is powerfully green. And it is 820 calories* worth of brain-freezing St. Patrick's Day nostalgia.

Calories can be burned off at the gym, so what we're more concerned with are the54 ingredientslurking inside that Shamrock Shake (seriously, there are 14 ingredients just in the CHERRY that goes on top). Some of the more questionable ingredients: Carrageenan (a possible human carcinogen), and the combination of Yellow 5 or Red 40 with sodium benzoate, which has been associated with hyperactivity in children. Also: high fructose corn syrup. So much high fructose corn syrup (a large shake contains 115 grams of sugar).

If we've learned anything from the past, we'd know that in 2006 it was revealed to us that there are59 ingredientsin a McDonald's strawberry shake, zero of them being strawberries.Zero strawberries.Does this mean it's possible that the Shamrock Shake contains zeroshamrocksmint? Though we could surmise that the mint is accounted for in the "natural flavor (plant source)" item of the shake'slong list of ingredients, we can never be sure.

What wecanbe sure of is that the homemade Shamrock Shake recipe in the video above contains precisely seven ingredients. Granted, it doesn't have the same sugar-bomb effect of the real Shamrock Shake, but it supplies a delicious dose of fresh minty flavor. We used Haagen Dazs ice cream (which only contains five ingredients), milk (which is already an ingredient in the ice cream) and fresh mint leaves. Then we topped it all off with fresh whipped cream (cream and sugar are already in the ice cream) and a fresh cherry. Count 'em. Seven ingredients.

So,break up with McDonald's(because evenLebron James apparently has) and make your own Shamrock Shake. We'll be surprised if it doesn't make you want to go chase a rainbow or two.

Bonus: Watch all the way to the end of the video and we'll share a secret with you:The McLeprechaun.

INGREDIENTS
1 pint vanilla ice cream (or mint, if you choose)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 big handfuls of fresh mint leaves, stems removed
Whipped cream and a cherry, to top

Blend until smooth and serve!

*All statistics are based on a McDonald's 22-ounce size large.

Video by Eva Hill

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