Rare Treat: McDonald's Shamrock Shakes Are Back in Southampton!

They’re green, vanilla-minty and always gone too soon — McDonald’s annual St. Patrick’s Day treat, Shamrock Shakes are back in Southampton!

To celebrate the advent of the coveted and fleeting milkshake, the Hampton Eats Street Team visited the Southampton McDonald’s on Thursday, arriving just as the staff posted their new Shamrock Shake signage.

And we’re proud to say Dan’s Papers reported the first East End shake sighting on shamrockshake.com, the must-visit utility for February and March, where fans of the frosty beverage can log participating McDonald’s locations, post Shamrock Shake sightings and ask for help finding a nearby restaurant.

For the uninitiated, Shamrock Shakes were first introduced as a Saint Patrick’s Day promotion in 1970 at a select few McDonald’s locations, which—like the elusive McRib sandwich—added to its mythological status. The distinctively colored, vanilla- and mint-flavored delight quickly became the unicorn of milkshakes. Long before the internet made instant information and shake-tracking websites a reality, Shamrock Shakes remained a legend, shared by the lucky few who experienced them and then passed the story from town to town.

At one point, Shamrock Shakes even had their own mascot, Uncle O’Grimacey, a green, capotain hat-wearing version of his large purple, and far less Irish, counterpart Grimace. But he too was fleeting and eventually went the way of the McD.L.T. and Arch Deluxe, falling into McObscurity.

Today, the Shamrock Shake is, mercifully, more widely available and branded as part of McDonald’s “McCafe” line of Starbucks-like beverages, which includes a clear plastic cup and the addition of whipped cream and a cherry on top (a choice not applauded by everyone). Changes aside, they’re still delicious, and purists are welcome to order their shakes sans new accoutrements.

Of course a true classic Shamrock fan may even convince his or her local server to pour it in a paper cup.

Shamrock Shakes are typically available at McDonald’s only in February and March, so catch one while you can.

The Southampton McDonald’s is located at 307 North Sea Road, 631-283-6777.

Has anyone seen Shamrock Shakes in Riverhead, Mattituck or the other East End McDonald’s restaurants? Let us know in the comments!