I tried the McDonaldland Meal at my local McD's on Aug. 12, the day it came out. And I don't want to say that I've been thinking about the mystery flavor of its pink-and-blue Mt. McDonaldland shake ever since, because that would make me sound truly bizarre, but...I have pondered it.
When I tasted the shake, I guessed it was maybe blue raspberry, maybe cotton candy, maybe mixed berry. It's sweet but not sickeningly so, though I'd never order it again. (I'm a chocolate fan.)
But I kind of wanted to know what the mystery flavor was. And now I do: According to McDonald's Canada's own nutrition page for the shake, the blue beauty features a "mix of creamy vanilla soft serve and raspberry flavored syrup." (I tried to confirm this on the US nutrition page, but it just spun and spun and never loaded. Get on that, Ronald.)
RASPBERRY! The Mt. McDonaldland shake is raspberry flavor! And it's blue in color, so my guess of blue raspberry was correct! Raspberry is the hot fast-food flavor these days, as Starbucks just brought back its much-loved raspberry drink syrup in late July.
If you're wondering what I'm even talking about, McDonald's continues to capitalize on the love of its customers for the company's goofy history. Recently, Happy Meals included McDonald's-themed toys -- such as drink machines, fryers and trays with food on them -- delivered in mini-Happy Meal boxes. And the much-longed-for Snack Wraps finally returned after a viral fan campaign.
The McDonaldland Meal goes straight after that market of adults who have a nostalgic feeling for the Golden Arches. It's not cheap -- here in high-cost-of-living Seattle, the medium meal was $16.59 and the large was $18.29.
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You can choose from a Quarter Pounder with cheese or a 10-piece McNugget order. It also comes with the chain's famous french fries and your choice of drink. But the specialty drink that's made to go with the meal is called that mystery-until-now-flavored Mt. McDonaldland shake, and it's a blazing blue color, topped with hot pink whipped cream. It's supposed to look like a volcano, with the pink cream as lava, I guess.
Unlike the Happy Meal, the McDonaldland Meal is made for adults. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET
You can order the shake without the meal if you just want to try it. If you don't want to try it, you can choose a regular drink or another flavor of shake with your McDonaldland meal.
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