Shamrock Shakes {and Grasshopper Cocktails}

Homemade shamrock shakes are a fun, festive way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! And because grown-ups need luck of the Irish too, there are grasshopper cocktails to create.

With the Luck o’ the Irish of St. Patrick’s Day coming up next weekend, my boys have been craving green food.  Not the kind of leafy greens that I’ve been trying to get them to love since birth, but the kind of kid-magnet sweet stuff made with green food coloring. Specifically, they’ve been sucked into the seasonal marketing vortex of a certain shake–available only at a specific establishment that serves “shakes.” Only they can’t call them “milkshakes” because they don’t contain enough dairy products to legally apply moniker. True story.

I believe in real milkshakes for my boys.  Made with real vanilla ice cream and milk. They love that about me.  And while deliciously minty shakes satisfy child-like cravings, sometimes the grown-ups want a little more than a milkshake.

I make no apologies. It had to happen.

SO!  Today is your lucky day because today you get two recipes for the price of admission.  You can’t beat a deal like this with a stick, I tell ya! Well, I suppose that you could, but it wouldn’t be very nice. And you’d probably break a glass and spill your drink.  Besides, that type of lumber-wielding behavior is grounds for a Big Fat Time-Out in my house.

So set down the bats and get out the blender.

Homemade shamrock shakes are simply made with ice cream, peppermint extract, milk, and a little green food coloring.

Scoop a some vanilla ice cream into a blender carafe.

Pour the milk over the ice cream.

Toss in a little peppermint extract for that refreshing mint flavor…

and a few drops of food coloring, just for good measure.

Give it a whirl in the blender for a few seconds and ta-da! Homemade Shamrock Shakes.

Wait just a second!  This doesn’t look nearly as fun as that retail establishments shake. Let’s see what I can do about that…

There! Much better!  Fact: a little whipped cream and sprinkles are the dessert equivalent of the Little Black Dress–they just go with everything.

Now that the kiddos were appeased, I thought it might be fun to make a “grown-up” version of the Shamrock Shake.  Actually, there is a name for the boozy counterpart–it’s called a Grasshopper.  Usually Grasshoppers are made with cream and not ice cream, but since we all know that More is More in the Comfortably Domestic house, I opted for the ice cream.

When in doubt, always chose ice cream is kind of a motto of mine.

But because the kids shouldn’t have all of the sprinkled-fun, I figured the Grown-Up Grasshopper needed sprinkles, too.

When in doubt, choose sprinkles is another motto of mine. Feel free to use it.

Melt an ounce of white chocolate in 30 second increments on high power in the microwave.

Dip the rim of a cocktail glass into the white chocolate.

Then take the white chocolate dipped rim and give it a shimmy-shake on a pile of sprinkles.  Repeat with other glasses before setting them aside to harden while you make the adult beverage.

Grasshoppers contain green creme de menthe and creme de cacao.  I can tell you from experience that these bottles will last you forever. I’m pretty sure that we bought these particular bottles the summer before our wedding. More than 13 years ago. If your feeling a little sassy, you could throw some vodka into the mix, too.

I was feeling a little sassy that day.

Pour the boozy stuff into the blender carafe with more vanilla ice cream. I’d be lying if I told you that I washed the carafe after the kiddie shakes and before making ours.  I didn’t. I try to conserve water wherever I can.

Give it all a good whirl in the blender, and pour into the be-sprinkled glasses.

And there ya have it! Grown-Up Grasshopper milkshakes.  They’re delicious!

I must admit that when I handed one of these tasty beverages to the Bacon Slayer, he wrinkled his nose and made a pucker face.  Bacon Slayer doesn’t care for sweet-girly drinks–a fact he reminded me of when I handed him the drink. He’s a curmudgeon like that.

So I smiled sweetly and said, OK, honey. Would you just hold it for me while I go clean up? Then I went back into the kitchen to pour myself another one.  I’m on to that man.

When I joined him in the other room a few minutes later, this is what he was holding in his hands for me.

Moral of the story: Even a Girly-Drink Curmudgeon can’t resist the lure of a Grown-Up Grasshopper.

Homemade shamrock shakes or a grasshopper cocktail, I’ve got your St. Patrick’s Day covered with minty milkshakes.

Kirsten Kubert

Yields 2

Shamrock Shakes and Grown-Up Grasshopper Cocktails

Homemade shamrock shakes use REAL ice cream!

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Shamrock Shakes
• 2 C. vanilla ice cream (2 to 3 large scoops)
• 1 C. milk
• ¾ tsp. pure peppermint extract (to taste)
• 2 to 3 drops of green liquid (not gel) food coloring, optional
• Optional Garnish: whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, maraschino cherries.
Frozen Grasshoppers
• 1 C. vanilla ice cream
• 1 ½ Tbs. green Crème de Menthe
• 1 ½ Tbs. Crème de Cacao
• 1 Tbs. vodka
• 2 to 3 Tbs. milk OR half & half
• Optional Garnish: Melted white chocolate and colored sprinkles for the rim of the glasses.

Instructions

For the Shamrock Shakes
1. Place the ice cream, milk, and peppermint extract in a blender carafe and blend on medium speed until smooth.
2. Add a few drops of green food coloring and blend until color is distributed, if desired.
3. Divide the shake between two tall glasses and garnish as desired.
4. Optional first step: dip edges of the cocktail glasses in melted white chocolate, and then roll the rims in colored sprinkles. Allow the chocolate to set before making cocktails.
5. Place all ingredients in a blender carafe and blend on medium speed until combined.
6. Pour between two cocktail glasses.

Notes

If you don’t want a frozen beverage, the ice cream can be omitted. Simply place the remaining the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and pour into glasses.

7.8.1.2

288

https://comfortablydomestic.com/2012/03/shamrock-shakes-grasshoppers/

Comfortably Domestic - 2016