McDo-It-Yourself: The Homemade Shamrock Shake Recipe

The Shamrock Shake is the stuff of childhood legend. An ephemeral confection, which appeared but once a year, vanishing faster than a wily leprechaun, always left us wondering: Was it but a minty dream? As kids, we’d backseat drive our parents to every area McDonald’s, looking for one that carried the elusive treat. Now that we’re all grown up, well – we’re still not over it. Since your mom probably doesn’t feel like taking you milkshake-hunting, give this DIY replica a try. It retains all the simple goodness of the childhood favorite, with a subtle grown-up twist: booze! Another nice part of being an adult.






Ingredients
1 ¾ cups low-fat vanilla ice cream
¼ cup vanilla vodka (or unflavored vodka + ½ tsp. vanilla extract)
¼ cup Crème de Menthe
½ tbsp grated dark chocolate + 1 tsp for topping
a few sprigs of mint

Steps:
Throw ice cream, vodka and Crème de Menthe in a blender and mix until it’s just evenly combined. The beauty of a Mickey D’s shake is its ridiculous, straw-defying thickness. To replicate that effect, make sure not to over-blend. And if you do, then I’m sorry – you’ll just have to add more ice cream.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle mint at the bottom of a tall glass. Pour the creamy, green goodness to just below the brim. Stir in chocolate shavings until well incorporated. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate on top.

This recipe makes two small shakes or one Super Size. You can share if you want to, but if you’re at my house, you’d better get your own.