The Shamrock Shake—a green, mint milkshake—is a seasonal dessert sold at McDonald's during March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The Shamrock Shake was first introduced in 1970, and is credited with helping pave the way for other seasonal drinks, including Starbucks Coffee's pumpkin spice and eggnog lattes. Shamrock Shakes were widely available across Canada and the United States until the early 1990s. According to the McDonald’s website, Shamrock Shakes are now sold year round exclusively in Ireland, although they are still available at select American stores during the month of March. The Shamrock Shake typically appears in mid-February. Although the recipe has never been publicly released, it is widely believed that the flavoring used in the shake has significantly changed since its creation. Recent debate has questioned whether the Shamrock Shake is simply a vanilla shake dyed green, or if additional flavors have also been added. The ingredient list disclosed by McDonald’s does not specifically identify mint flavoring as one of the additives to the Shamrock Shake syrup, but in March 2009, a public accounting firm based in Chicago, Illinois designed and conducted a double blind taste test comparing the taste of the vanilla shake, to that of the Shamrock. While the texture and consistency of the two shakes were nearly indistinguishable, over 98% of the respondents indicated that a subtle mint flavor is the differentiating factor between the two products. McDonald’s has not publicly commented on the results of the taste test.[citation needed]

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