[Lemonade became an emblem of the temperance movement. Lucy Webb
Hayes, First Lady from 1877 to 1881, bore the nickname “Lemonade
Lucy” for her refusal to serve alcohol in the White House. ]
[[link removed]]

PORTSIDE CULTURE

THE SWEET HISTORY OF LEMONADE  
[[link removed]]


 

Anne Ewbank
April 17, 2023
Atlas Obscura
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Lemonade became an emblem of the temperance movement. Lucy Webb
Hayes, First Lady from 1877 to 1881, bore the nickname “Lemonade
Lucy” for her refusal to serve alcohol in the White House. _

An 1820 sketch of a French lemonade vendor with an elaborate tank.,
Wellcome Collection/Public Domain

 

It’s been a cold and blustery spring so far for me, but this last
weekend, I still made a large pitcher of everyone’s favorite
fair-weather beverage: lemonade.

I didn’t use a recipe, and simply stirred together lemon juice,
water, and sugar. This drink, though, was a far cry from the lemonade
recipe I came across recently, in a slim booklet called Oxford Night
Caps, published in 1827.

Considered the first cocktail book ever written, it nonetheless
includes the steps to make a non-alcoholic “delicious lemonade,”
by whipping together gelatinous calves-feet jelly, raw eggs, water,
and the requisite lemons and sugar.

Imagining this frothy concoction made me think of all the other
recipes for lemonade I’ve come across in historical and modern
cookbooks. The former can include everything from eggs to sherry,
while the latter sometimes advise making lemonade with simple syrup or
adding zest for a more intense flavor.

Simple or expensive, boozy or dry, egg-filled or thankfully egg-free,
lemonade is immensely adaptable to the tastes of the times. Perhaps
that’s why it has such a colorful history: Over the centuries,
lemonade has been held to be both medicinal and pleasurable,
incredibly humble while also the favorite subject of master painters.
Make yourself a glass, and let’s dive into lemonade’s sweet
history.

THE HISTORY OF LEMONADE

The first written mention of lemonade-like drinks comes from _On
Lemon, Its Drinking and Use_, an Arabic treatise written in the 12th
century by the physician Ibn Jumayʿ, who wrote down a number of drink
recipes that included not only lemon juice, but fruits, herbs, and
spices.

Jumayʿ recommended lemonade for its health benefits
[[link removed]],
and that reputation followed it into Europe, along with sugar and the
lemon itself. The price of its ingredients initially reserved it for
the very rich and the very sick. But refreshing lemonade could not be
contained to the sickroom for long, and by the 17th century, Paris was
filled with wandering lemonade vendors, who sold the drink from
elaborate tanks strapped to their backs.

The first published American recipe for lemonade, in 1824’s _The
Virginia House-wife_, involved egg whites and freezing, resulting in a
delicate sherbet more than a drink. But as the century continued,
lemonade became useful both politically and economically.

Pleasant enough to drink on its own without alcohol, lemonade became
an emblem of the temperance movement. Lucy Webb Hayes, First Lady from
1877 to 1881, bore the nickname “Lemonade Lucy” for her refusal to
serve alcohol in the White House. Plus, “portable lemonade,” a dry
mix of sugar, lemon, and citric acid, could be carried by soldiers and
people on the frontier, for a refreshing drink that could also hide
the taste of bad water.

Bottling lemonade, an early innovation, also made for a portable,
potable refreshment. But these pre-made varieties have a hard time
living up to the fresh-squeezed kind—there’s an invisible timer
that starts once a lemon is sliced, since oxidation strips away the
juice’s delicate flavor and often leaves unpleasant bitter notes.

Perhaps that’s why we seek out summer lemonade stands. Lemonade has
been sold at stands stateside since the 19th century, but only became
the leading business venture for children in the 20th. Even if the
lemonade served to you in a paper cup by your neighbor’s kid is a
little too sour and watery, don’t forget that you’re drinking
history.

The Art of Lemonade

Over the centuries, artists have painted, sketched, etched, and
photographed people making and selling lemonade. Perhaps that’s an
acknowledgement of how making great lemonade is an art itself (or the
fact that many lemonade vendors were young, pretty women).

The Atlas Obscura team actually has its own lemonade artist on staff:
In 2018, our senior editor April White wrote Lemonade With Zest: 40
Thirst-Quenching Recipes. April has some tips from around the world
for making excellent lemonade that’s a few steps above your average
Country Time.

1. Turkish lemonade uses the whole lemon. Grate lemon zest into the
sugar and mix until it’s a sandy powder, then add it to the juice
and water. Float the white, pithy shells on top. The resulting
lemonade is sweet and slightly bitter (in a good way).

2. The Parisian approach to lemonade is refreshingly DIY. ​​The
citron pressé consists of three separate small pitchers of simple
syrup, water, and lemon juice, which the drinker combines to their
liking.

3. Sumac is a spice whose acidic notes have earned the plant the
moniker of “lemonade tree.” Using sumac simple syrup in the place
of sugar makes for a uniquely tangy pinkish drink. April’s recipe
for sumac simple syrup consists of bringing a cup of sugar, a cup of
water, and three tablespoons of sumac to a simmer on the stove, until
the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cool, then strain through a coffee
filter before using.

4. In Portugal and North Africa, mazagran is an invigorating take on
lemonade that includes coffee. Mix together ¾ cup of cold-brew coffee
with two tablespoons of simple syrup and three to four tablespoons of
lemon juice. Pour over ice.

Gastro Obscura covers the world’s most wondrous food and drink.

* History
[[link removed]]
* culinary history
[[link removed]]
* culinary traditions
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit portside.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 



########################################################################

[link removed]

To unsubscribe from the xxxxxx list, click the following link:
[link removed]