A Boozy Shamrock Shake for St. Patrick’s Day

How can you improve on the Shamrock Shake? Try adding chocolate and alcohol.

A popular variant of the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is ordering the mint green milkshake with chocolate syrup for a delectable minty chocolate treat. This idea was not lost on the golden arches as they added four chocolaty takes on the Shamrock Shake in 2017. While these mint chocolate desserts only lasted one “Shamrock season” on the McDonald’s menu, you can still order a Shamrock Shake with chocolate if you request it. 

We decided to one-up McD’s with a chocolate shamrock shake with alcohol. This boozy take on America’s most nonsensical St. Patrick’s Day tradition gets its punch from Fernet-Branca, an herbaceous, somewhat mentholated bitter liqueur from Italy, and white creme de cacao liqueur. It’s pleasant (not-overpowering) candied mint flavor is courtesy of a judicious amount of creme de menthe syrup, which renders the drink the palest of greens. If you want a more dramatic green, feel free to add food coloring.

Fernet-Branca Shamrock Shake

Yield: 1 shake

Ingredients

• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 1/2 oz creme de menthe syrup
• 1 oz Fernet-Branca
• 1 oz creme de cacao liqueur
• 1/2 cup half and half (or substitute heavy cream or whole milk)
• Whipped cream, fresh mint, sprinkles for garnish (optional)

Glassware

• Hurricane Glass

Tools

• Cocktail Jigger
• Blender
• Straw
• Shamrock Cocktail Stirrer

Directions

Pour ice cream, creme de menthe syrup, Fernet, creme de cacao and half and half into a blender. Whirl to a smooth, uniform consistency. Pour into a chilled hurricane glass. Garnish with whipped cream, fresh mint, sprinkles, a decorative straw and shamrock stirrer.