Lemonade

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Before we pour the cold lemonade into the pitcher, let's take a short journey to discover how and when this drink first appeared.

For over 1,000 years, the recipe for traditional lemonade has remained the same. The earliest written mentions of lemonade trace back to the Mediterranean shores of Egypt, where in the 8th century people made a drink from lemon juice, mint, pepper, fermented barley, water, and sugar. They even traded in this beverage.

Lemonade was also made in India, and from there the drink made its way to Europe, where, according to legend, in 781 the winemaker of Emperor Louis the Pious mixed up the barrels of wine and poured the emperor a glass of lemon juice — realising his mistake, he quickly added water and sugar. Lemonade was greatly beloved in the 7th and 8th centuries in Rome, and later in Paris. Honey and water were added to the lemon juice.

In 1676, vendors established an organisation called the Compagnie de Limonadiers. The British chemist Joseph Priestley invented carbonated lemonade, and in 1780 this wonderful drink reached America. A women's movement known as the Christian Union began campaigning against alcohol by encouraging people to drink non-alcoholic lemonade instead.

Circus performers played a significant role in spreading the drink's popularity. A document from 1879 in the Register of Wheels of West Virginia describes a pink lemonade that was a great hit with circus audiences. It was invented by one of the performers, who dropped red cinnamon candies into the lemonade. Over the years, lemonade has never lost its popularity.

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