I used to live for that time of year when a certain fast food green shake would make it's appearance. My birthday happens to be exactly a week after St. Patrick's Day, and spring is my favorite time of year, so getting one of those sweet treats became a tradition of celebrating the season. A sign of good things to come.
But then, once we started eating more "real food", those shakes just didn't taste as good. I know a lot of people say that about things and mean it as some kind of metaphor, like their guilt over having it didn't outweigh the enjoyment of drinking it, but I mean it the straightforward way: the shake just tastes artificial to me. I can taste the food coloring in particular, and it just doesn't match up to the idealized version of it that I have in my head.
So then, last year, I stumbled across this recipe for Drunk Shamrock Shake. I'm a convert, full on in my new-found affection for this reincarnation of that minty green shake. If the original shake left me feeling empty and cheated, this one fills my soul and makes me feel...well...happy.