Nothing says “summer vacation” like a cold glass of pink lemonade. But youve probably never thought much about how the sweet and sour drink got its signature color. Maybe you came across a bag of pink lemons in the grocery store one time and figured that must be where the story begins. The green and yellow-striped lemons are, in fact, pink on the inside. And because theyre sweeter and not quite as tart as normal lemons, they happen to smell exactly like the sugary pink lemonade your mom mixed up from a tin full of fuschia powder.
But, alas, pink lemons produce a nearly colorless juice. So its necessary to look back at history to figure out when we started drinking lemonade the color of bubblegum.
Pink lemonade dates back at least to the late 19th century. And although various theories abound, they all point to one place: the circus.
In an interview with Smithsonian, environmental psychologist Sally Augustin explains what she believes to be the reason. “The color of pink lemonade is relaxing,” she says. “It’s [a pink] that’s not very saturated but relatively bright. In my experience, traditional lemonade has no real color.” The color of love, or perhaps just a hue reminiscent of a tranquil sunset, Augustin suggests that the psychological effects of color may be what’s at play here.
A second claim is what puts the “Totally Gross” in “The Totally Gross Origins of Pink Lemonade.” This comes from Harvey W. Root’s 1921 circus text, The Ways Of The Circus: Being The Memories And Adventures Of George Conklin, Tamer Of Lions. In it, George Conklin claims his brother Pete developed the drink way back in 1857. Serving lemonade at a circus, Pete ran out of water, and had to think quick.
Sprinting into a nearby tent, the concessions vendor ran into bareback rider and circus performer Fanny Johnson, who had just washed her red tights in a tub of water, now bearing a pinkish-hue. Acting fast, Pete grabbed the dirty water, rebranded it as “strawberry lemonade,” and quickly sold it to the masses, quenching thirsts, doubling sales, and inducing gag reflexes for generations to come.
Working the concession stand one afternoon, Allott was said to have accidentally “invented” the drink after dropping several red, cinnamon candies into a large vat of the traditional, yellow lemonade variety. With a line of customers in front of him and no time to make a new batch, Allott simply sold the drink as it was, to great success. “The resulting rose-tinted mixture sold so surprisingly well that he continued to dispense his chance discovery,” the newspaper wrote of the ordeal.
While we can never be sure exactly where pink lemonade originated, history points more strongly toward the Conklins’ tale of the tights that changed summertime beverages as we know it, if only because of the chronological edge it has over the former. Today, we can rest assured that the lemonade we’re all drinking is as tasty as ever, and, thank goodness, more hygienic than those early batches.
But, alas, pink lemons produce a nearly colorless juice. So its necessary to look back at history to figure out when we started drinking lemonade the color of bubblegum.
Nothing says “summer vacation” like a cold glass of pink lemonade. But youve probably never thought much about how the sweet and sour drink got its signature color. Maybe you came across a bag of pink lemons in the grocery store one time and figured that must be where the story begins. The green and yellow-striped lemons are, in fact, pink on the inside. And because theyre sweeter and not quite as tart as normal lemons, they happen to smell exactly like the sugary pink lemonade your mom mixed up from a tin full of fuschia powder.
Pink lemonade dates back at least to the late 19th century. And although various theories abound, they all point to one place: the circus.
Another theory about the invention of pink lemonade points to something a little less hygienic. As the story goes, in 1857, the brother of lion tamer George Conklin, Pete, was selling lemonade at the circus when he ran out of water. Desperate to keep the concessions moving, Pete used dirty water in which an acrobat was washing her pink tights, turning the lemonade pink. The drink was coyly called “strawberry lemonade,” and no one seemed to notice their strawberries tasted suspiciously like dirty laundry.
Circus performer Henry E. Allott, also known as “Bunk,” is one possible inventor of pink lemonade. The Chicago-born circusman ran away to join the circus as a teenager and worked selling lemonade to thirsty visitors. One day, he supposedly spilled cinnamon candies in the vat of lemonade, and their red dye turned the mixture pink. He sold it anyway, and folks seemed to enjoy the whimsical shade, making it an instant classic.
The Sour Origin Story Of Circus-Born Pink Lemonade
FAQ
What is the history of strawberry lemonade?
What was the origin of pink lemonade?
Where is lemonade originated from?
Is pink lemonade actually strawberry lemonade?
Where did Lemonade come from?
Tart or sweet, pink or yellow, clear, cloudy or carbonated, for as long as life has been handing out lemons, people the world over — from the ancient Egyptians to Beyoncé — have been making lemonade. The exact origin of the lemon itself has not been easy to ascertain, but new research has clarified its lineage as a sour orange and citron hybrid.
Where did Pink Lemonade come from?
Although the history of traditional lemonade—a blend of lemon juice, water and sugar—in America dates back to the early arrival of European immigrants, with recipes appearing in the States as early as the 17th century, the genesis of pink lemonade is a bit more recent.
What is lemonade flavored drink?
Lemonade is a sweetened lemon -flavored drink . There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy lemonade is a common variety. It is traditionally a homemade drink using lemon juice, water, and a sweetener such as cane sugar, simple syrup, maple syrup or honey.
Where is white’s lemonade made?
White’s Lemonade has been sold in the UK since 1845. The predominant form of lemonade found in the US, Canada, and India, cloudy lemonade, also known as traditional or old fashioned lemonade in the UK and Australia, is non-carbonated and made with fresh lemon juice; however, commercially produced varieties are also available.