There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world.[1]
Historically and in many parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated beverage, traditionally homemade, using lemon juice, water, and a sweetener such ascane sugar,simple syrup,maple syrup orhoney.[2] In other parts of the world, it is most commonly a reference to acarbonated lemon-flavouredsoft drink or soda. Despite the differences between the drinks, each is known simply as "lemonade" in countries where it is dominant.
One of the first recipes for a lemon-based drink was documented in the 12th century Egyptian treatiseOn Lemon, Its Drinking and Use by the court physicianIbn Jumayʿ.[4][5][6] A drink made with lemons,dates, and honey was consumed inMamlukEgypt, as well as a lemon juice drink with sugar known asqatarmizat in the 13th century.[4] An Egyptian recipe for lemonade has been used in England since 1663 andSamuel Pepys consumed it in the 1660s.[7] In 1676, a company known asCompagnie de Limonadiers sold lemonade inParis.[8] Vendors carried tanks of lemonade on their backs and dispensed cups of the soft drink to Parisians.[9]
While a method forcarbonated water was discovered byJoseph Priestley in 1767 (with his pamphletDirections for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air published in London in 1772),[10] the first reference found to carbonated lemonade was in 1833 when the drink was sold in British refreshment stalls.[11]R. White's Lemonade has been sold in the UK since 1845.[12]
In North America, the Caribbean, and South Asia, lemonade is typically a non-carbonated and non-clarified drink made with lemon juice, water, and sugar.
Traditionally, children in the US and Canada startlemonade stands to make money duringsummer. The concept has become iconic of youthful summertime Americana to the degree that parodies and variations exist across media. References can be found in comics and cartoons such asPeanuts, and the 1979 computer gameLemonade Stand.[13]
In countries where "lemonade" refers to a carbonated drink, the non-carbonated drink is sometimes calledlemon squash or still, cloudy, traditional or old fashioned lemonade.
Traditional lemonade can also be served frozen or used as amixer. Still lemonade is sold in the UK under brands like Tesco orFentimans who sell a Victorian lemonade.[7][14]
The French soft drink citron pressé, being diluted with water
In France, it is common for bars or restaurants to offer citron pressé, also called citronnade, an unmixed version of lemonade in which the customer is given lemon juice, syrup and water separately to be mixed in their preferred proportions.[18]
A popular variation of traditional lemonade, pink lemonade, is created by adding additional fruit juices, flavors, orfood coloring to the recipe. Most store-bought pink lemonade is simply colored with concentrated grape juice or dyes.[19] Among those using natural colors, grape is the most popular, butcranberry juice,beet juice or syrup made from brightly colored fruits and vegetables, such asrhubarb,raspberries,strawberries, orcherries, are also used.[20]
The origin stories generally associate pink lemonade's invention withtraveling circuses in the US.[20]
A 1912obituary credited the invention of pink lemonade to circus worker Henry E. "Sanchez" Allott, saying he had dropped in redcinnamon candies by mistake.[21] Another origin story credits another circus worker, Pete Conklin, in 1857. His brother,lion tamer George Conklin, tells the story in his 1921 memoir,The Ways of the Circus.[20] According to the story, Conklin's lemonade was a mixture of water, sugar andtartaric acid, with the tub garnished with a single lemon that he repeatedly used for the season. One day, he ran out of water. Searching desperately, he found a tub of water abareback rider had recently used to rinse her pink tights. Adding in the sugar, acid and remaining bits of lemon, he offered the resulting mixture as "strawberry lemonade" and saw his sales double.[19][22]
Real lemons were too expensive for the circus, so artificial substitutes were widely used.[20] In the past, tartaric acid was commonly used to produce the typical tart flavor.[20] In the modern era, commercially produced lemonade and powdered mixes tend to rely oncitric acid.[20]
InIndia andPakistan, where it is commonly known asnimbu paani, and inBangladesh, lemonades may also contain salt orginger juice calledlebur shorbot.[34]Shikanjvi is a traditional lemonade from this region, and can also be flavored withsaffron,cumin and other spices.[35][36][37]
The predominant form of lemonade in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, and Australia is a clear, lemon-flavoured carbonated beverage.
Schweppes,Kirks,R. White's Lemonade,L&P andC&C are all common brands, and shops usually carry a store-branded lemonade as well.[12] Schweppes uses a blend of lemon and lime oils.[38] Other lemon-lime flavouredfizzy drinks, such asSprite and7 Up, are also commonly referred to as "lemonade" and are sometimes substituted for it in alcoholic drinks.
There are also speciality flavours, such asFentimans Rose Lemonade, which is sold in the UK, the US, and Canada.Shandy, a mixture of beer and clear lemonade, is often sold pre-bottled, or ordered in pubs.[39]
In Ireland,red lemonade and brown lemonade are popular varieties alongside uncoloured lemonade (referred to as white lemonade), and they are drunk by themselves as well as in mixed alcoholic drinks. InUlster in the north of Ireland, brown lemonade is flavoured withbrown sugar.[40]
In Estonia, lemonade was first commercially produced as a carbonated drink in 1860.[41] The two most popular lemonade brands are Kelluke and Limonaad, with Kelluke being made with lemon and lime flavours and Limonaad having a blend of herb extracts.[42][43]
^Priestley, Joseph.Directions for impregnating water with fixed air; in order to communicate to it the peculiar spirit and virtues of Pyrmont water, and other mineral waters of a similar nature. London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1772.
^"Inventor of pink lemonade dead"(PDF).The New York Times. September 18, 1912. p. 11.Archived(PDF) from the original on January 9, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2007.
^Nickell, Joe.Secrets of the Sideshows, 978-0813123585, University Press of Kentucky, 2005. pp. 31–32.
^Wiles, Briana (2016).Mountain States Foraging: 115 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alpine Sorrel to Wild Hops. Timber Press. p. 232.ISBN978-1-60469-678-3.Spired clusters of red berries are fun for the kids to pick apart and make pink lemonade [with], especially in our not-so-tropical region.
^Brill, "Wildman" Steve (2017).Foraging New York: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Globe Pequot. pp. 216–217.ISBN978-1-4930-2428-5.Strain out the fruit with a fine sieve or cheesecloth-lined colander, sweeten to taste, and enjoy the best pink lemonade you've ever tasted.
^Gilbert, Rebecca (2022).Weedy Wisdom for the Curious Forager: Common Wild Plants to Nourish Your Body & Soul. Llewellyn Publications.ISBN978-0-7387-7207-3.Use a handful or more of sumac berries, fresh or dried, per gallon of water, or to taste. The resulting sour, pink liquid may be used to make sumac 'pink lemonade.'
^Feghali, Layla K. (2024).The Land in Our Bones: Plantcestral Herbalism and Healing Cultures from Syria to the Sinai—Earth-based Pathways to Ancestral Stewardship and Belonging in Diaspora. North Atlantic Books. pp. 100–111.ISBN978-1-62317-914-4.Sumac berries infused in water with sweetener added make a wonderful pink lemonade, a recipe I learned from Indigenous communities in my diasporic California home, whose colloquial name for their native sumac tree is 'lemonade berry'.
^Stewart, Hilary (2009).Drink in the Wild: Teas, Cordials, Jams and More. Douglas and McIntyre. p. 115.ISBN978-1-55054-894-5.Another method is to crush the seed cones in cold water and allow [them] to sit for several hours, preferrably overnight, then strain and add sugar. This gives a pink lemonade that is ideal for small children to make, since boiling water is not involved.
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