March is a pretty calm month when it comes to holidays and special occasions, but there is one day that attracts a special kind of attention: St. Patrick’s Day.  This holiday revolves around anything related to the color green or the country of Ireland, so it is only natural that a Shamrock Shake is the focus of Mixing with Mel this time of the year.

Not only does the Shamrock Shake ring in with St. Patrick’s Day due to its green color and reference to the beloved  shamrocks that overtake March 17th, but this drink also receives attention since McDonalds sells them during this time of the year.  But why waste the time and money to leave your house and pay for this delicious treat when you can have it for free in the comfort of your own home?

To make your own Shamrock Shake, you will need 4 ingredients: vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and green food coloring.  This recipe is actually quite simple and will only take a few minutes to compete.

First, take 2 cups of the ice cream (which I found to be about 3-4 scoops), 1 ¼ cups of milk, and ¼ teaspoon of mint extract and place them all in a blender.  Go easy on the extract because if you add too much, your shake will be far too minty.  Next, put 8 drops (or however many you want, depending on how green you would like your shake) of the food coloring into the blender, as well. This coloring will give your shake the green tint it needs to elicit that St. Patty’s Day feel.

Now that everything is in the blender, blend the mixture until it is smooth.  I have found that shaking the blender a few times ensures that no clump goes un-blended.

The final thing to do is pour your shake into a cup and enjoy— you can even top it off with some whipped cream if you like.  And there you have it, you have successfully made your own Shamrock Shake!