Boozy Homemade Shamrock Shakes with Guinness Hot Fudge

Say hello to one of the easiest, most decadent treats that you need in your life ASAP.

No, really. Say it with me. Hellooooooo, lover.

One of my favorite flavor combos is mint and chocolate. My husband….not so much. He prefers chocolate and peanut butter. Not that I blame him one bit, but mint chocolate chip ice cream is my GO TO. Peppermint patties? Yes, please. Thin Mint cookies? Oh yeah. Junior Mints at the movies? Hells yes.

When shamrock shakes come out in March, I am a very happy girl. They are a fun, totally delish treat. The only problem? They are chock-full of artificial flavoring and coloring. When I think about it too much, it kind of grosses me out.

My solution? Making them at home! With ingredients I know and can control! Oh, and with VODKA!

You feeling me? Let’s get our Friday on, people. Our IRISH Friday.

Homemade shamrock shakes are basically mint-flavored milkshakes. Not complicated AT ALL to make. I made my base with vanilla bean ice cream, mint extract, and some mint liqueur and vodka. Ya know, just because I can. The shake itself is completely delicious and really does taste like the drive-thru version. (Side note: if you want a non-alcoholic version of this, just swap the booze out for milk). A few drops of all-natural green food coloring make it truly feel like the original.

It doesn’t really NEED anything else.

But I went ahead and added something else anyway. I just can’t help myself. I wanted something chocolatey to go with my mint shake, and because St. Patty’s is right around the corner and Irish blood courses through my veins, I made a Guinness hot fudge to drizzle into my shake.

Of course I did.

Let me just tell you something. Guinness hot fudge should be a regular thing. Like, I want to keep it in my fridge for all occasions. It has all the characteristics of regular hot fudge: thick, glossy, smooth, and chocolatey (of course)…but it also has an extra kick from the beer. And a slight bitterness that I love.

In fact, the bitterness it imparts works BEAUTIFULLY with the chocolate flavor. I am a dark chocolate girl. The darker the better, and the beer really enhances that deep, dark, slightly bittersweet chocolate flavor here. It’s glorious.

Hence, I want to pour it on everything.

With St. Patty’s day being just one week away, it’s the perfect excuse to whip up a batch (or two!) of these shakes. While Dan and I have a ton of Irish pride, we have zero plans for St. Patty’s. No green beer or Irish car bombs in our future anytime soon.

And that’s juuuust fine. I’d take one of these shakes over green beer any day of the year.

Boozy Homemade Shamrock Shakes with Guinness Hot Fudge

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• Yield: 2-4 shakes, depending on the size you want (plus extra hot fudge sauce) 1x

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Ingredients

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For the Shakes:

• 4 cups vanilla bean ice cream
• ¼ cup creme de menthe liqueur
• ¼ cup vodka
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• ¼ teaspoon mint extract
• 1–2 drops of green food coloring (optional)
• Maraschino cherries and whipped cream, for garnish

For the Guinness Hot Fudge:

• ⅔ cup Guinness stout beer
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• Pinch of fine salt

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Instructions

For the Shakes:

1. In a blender, combine the ice cream, liqueur, vodka, food coloring, and extracts. Blend until smooth, frothy, and thick.
2. Pour the mixture into serving glasses and garnish with whipped cream, cherries, and a healthy drizzle of the hot fudge sauce. Serve immediately.
3. For an extra chocolately flavor, you also can swirl some of the hot fudge around the glasses before you pour in the milkshakes.

For the Guinness Hot Fudge:

1. Put the beer, heavy cream, chocolate, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture comes up to a gentle simmer and is melted and smooth. Continue to cook until it thickens up a bit.
2. Whisk in the vanilla and salt and then remove from the heat. Keep warm until you are ready to serve. Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge (it reheats beautifully!).