McDonald’s has brought back the viral Grimace milkshake for Christmas and fans are mesmerised by the unusual name and purple colour. Mirror writer Niamh Kirk was shocked by the flavour
After a whole lot of pleading from fans, McDonald’s has brought back the viral Grimace milkshake for the festive season – but it won’t be here for long.
The purple drink returned to menus on Wednesday (11th December) after going viral in the summer as it finally landed in the UK following huge success in the States.
The unusual name doesn’t exactly get your tastebuds tingling, but it’s an ode to the chain’s iconic purple mascot from the Seventies. Grimace started out as an evil character who stole milkshakes from customers, however, he eventually became a fun and friendly face for the food haunt.
Blueberry-flavoured foods are surging in popularity currently, with many beverage chains offering blueberry syrup – including Blank Street Coffee who created the highly popular Blueberry Matcha Latte. And it looks as if McDonald’s is now also jumping on the bandwagon.
It’s not very often we get treated to a new Maccies milkshake flavour in the UK – especially not a bright purple one. As a big blueberry fan, I had high hopes but it’s actually a difficult flavour to get right. So many blueberry flavoured sweet treats taste too sickly and artificial, so McDonald’s had a tough job on their hands. Here’s what I thought of the new drink…
From the first sip you’re instantly hit with the blueberry flavour, so if you’re not a fan of the fruit, this definitely won’t be for you. The fruity flavour is much stronger than I expected which made it refreshing. Thankfully, it didn’t have an artificial aftertaste either.
As well as the refreshing burst of blueberry, I was instantly struck by how rich and creamy the drink is – it tastes far more luxe than a classic vanilla or strawberry version. The texture is similar to ice cream, and is much creamier than a frappe. I’m a sucker for an aesthetic-looking beverage, and the pastel purple hue of the milkshake really appealed to me. It’s safe to say that Americans have no idea how good they have it – I can already hear UK fans screaming for it to become a permanent item.
As someone who usually only goes for a chocolate milkshake, this new flavour has left me seriously craving more. And out of all of McDonald’s fruity drinks, this is the closest to the real fruit. I have a huge sweet tooth so this was perfect for me, but others may find it a little too sickly.
The blueberry flavour milkshake joins the three other flavours available – chocolate, banana and strawberry, but like all good things at McDonald’s, it’s not going to be around forever.
It’s uncommon for McDonald’s to introduce new drinks, with only a handful ever coming onto the menu – including the Biscof frappe, so there is even more excitement around this new menu item.
It’s a little bit more expensive, costing diners £2.69 for a medium and £2.99 for a large compared to the regular flavours priced at £1.99 and £2.19.
Sadly the Grimace Shake is only available this festive season, so you’ll need to be quick.
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