Yogurt-like beverages combine McDonald’s shake know-how with one of Japan’s favorite summertime flavors.

Japan hasn’t quite gone into full-on hot and steamy summer mode, but those sweltering days are coming soon. So the timing of McDonald’s Japan’s announcement of a new cold and delicious beverage really couldn’t come at a better time.

The fast food giant, which is always eager to offer fare that makes use of local Japanese flavors, has put the word out that at the end of this month it’ll start serving Calpis shakes. For the uninitiated, Calpis (or Calpico, as it’s often marketed overseas in an attempt to sound more appetizing to English speakers), is a yogurt-like beverage. It’s usually mixed with water, sometimes carbonated, and occasionally even used as a cocktail mixer, pleasing palates both young and old with a unique balance of sweet and tart notes.

Loyal SoraNews24 readers and/or lactic acid bacteria enthusiasts may remember that there was also a Calpis McShake available last year. We tried it for ourselves and came away more than satisfied, but McDonald’s has still decided to tinker with the recipe, and promises that this year’s Calpis McShake has had its sweetness toned down ever so slightly, allowing the tartness a little more of the spotlight in order to make the 2018 version even more refreshing to sip on the hottest days of the year.

▼ The 2017 Calpis shake, with a reversed color scheme compared to the 2018

While yogurt-like shakes might seem a little unusual to the uninitiated, McDonald’s Japan has previously sold yogurt granola smoothies, and yogurt Frappuccinos have also graced Starbucks’ menus in Japan. And for even more historic precedent, there’s lassi, the Indian yogurt drink that’s often enjoyed at the end of a meal of spicy curry, so maybe there’ll be some similar synergy between the Calpis McShake and McDonald’s Japan’s new spicy chicken McNuggets.

The new Calpis shakes go on sale June 27, priced at 120 yen (US$1.10) for a small and 200 yen for a large, and will be available for a limited, undisclosed time.

Source: McDonald’s via Entabe
Top image: McDonald’s
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