Lemonade is a carbonated soft drink based on water, sugar and acid, usually with a fruit flavour. Behind the bar, you’ll encounter the term in two worlds: as an industrial soft drink product from a bottle and as a homemade syrup with soda. The difference is not only enormous in terms of taste, but also regulated by law.
What lemonade is legally
In Germany, the Fruit Juice and Soft Drinks Ordinance defines what may be called lemonade: a beverage made from drinking water, natural flavourings or fruit juice, sugar and carbonation. The minimum content of fruit flavour or fruit juice is a meagre two percent, and for lemon it’s even just one percent. That’s why many industrial lemonades taste of chemicals and sugar, not fruit. The sugar content must be at least seven percent, with no upper limit. Cola, orange lemonade and lemon lemonade are the classics, but exotic variations with mango or passion fruit also carry the name.
Homemade lemonade at the bar
Behind the bar, lemonade often means something else: a homemade syrup that is topped up with soda water. You boil sugar with water, fruit juice and citric acid, let it infuse, then bottle it. The syrup keeps refrigerated for several weeks. On order, you pour two to three centilitres into a glass with ice and top it up with soda. The result is fresher, less sweet and individually adjustable. Many bars offer three to five varieties – ginger lemon, elderflower, rhubarb or cucumber mint. The advantage: you control the sugar content, acidity and intensity. The disadvantage: it’s work, and the shelf life is limited.
Lemonade in cocktails
In classic cocktails, lemonade plays hardly any role, because most recipes come from a time when only fresh ingredients existed. Modern drinks like the Aperol Spritz or the Moscow Mule, however, use industrial lemonades as a filler – Prosecco is technically not lemonade, ginger beer is. In tiki bars and long drinks, lemonade is popular as a volume provider: it brings sweetness, acidity and carbonation in one. Be careful with dosing: industrial lemonades are extremely sweet, which can throw off a drink. Homemade varieties are easier to control because you dose the syrup separately and top up with neutral soda.
Common misconceptions
Many people believe lemonade is always yellow and lemon-flavoured – this is historically conditioned because lemon lemonade was the first industrially widespread variety. In reality, lemonade comes in every colour and with every flavour. A second misconception: lemonade is always sweet. Legally true, but modern craft lemonades and homemade recipes often use significantly less sugar and more acid. Third point: lemonade is the same as soft drink. No. Soft drink is the generic term, lemonade a subcategory. Cola is a soft drink, but not lemonade in the legal sense because it tastes of cola nut, not fruit. And: lemonade does not necessarily have to contain carbonation – there are also still varieties, which are usually called something else.
Related
- Soda water
- Ginger Beer
Frequently asked questions
Can I make lemonade myself?
Yes, and it’s easier than you think. You need sugar, water, citric acid and fruit flavour – either as juice, purée or zest. Boil everything, let it infuse, strain, bottle. The syrup keeps refrigerated for several weeks. Top up with soda water on order.
Why does industrial lemonade taste so sweet?
Because manufacturers are legally required to use at least seven percent sugar, but many use significantly more – up to twelve percent. That’s roughly 25 grams of sugar per quarter litre. Added to that, the fruit content is often only one to two percent, the rest is flavouring and sweetness.
Is lemonade the same as soda?
No. Soda is pure water with carbonation, without sugar and without flavour. Lemonade always contains sugar and taste. At the bar, you use soda to top up homemade lemonade syrup – then the soda becomes lemonade.
Which lemonade goes with which drink?
Lemon lemonade pairs with light spirits like Gin or Vodka, ginger lemonade with Whiskey or dark Rum. Elderflower lemonade harmonises with Prosecco or white wine, rhubarb lemonade with Gin. Industrial lemonades are often too dominant; homemade ones can be better balanced.
