Lemonade
In Britain, lemonade means a sparkling, sweet lemon soft drink, clear or cloudy; North Americans use the word for a still mix of squeezed lemons, sugar and water. Neither contains alcohol. Our recipes use the clear fizzy kind to lengthen a Pimm’s Cup, a sharp cloudy sparkling one in a Snowball, and still lemonade with iced tea in an Arnold Palmer.
Quick Facts
Refrigerate and use within a day or two of opening.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Lemonade
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet and tart with bright lemon and lively carbonation; the British fizzy style rather than still cloudy lemonade.
The word covers three different drinks
British lemonade is a fizzy soft drink, and the shelf holds two kinds: clear, which is crisp and colourless, and cloudy, which keeps lemon solids and often more juice. The American word means something else, lemon juice stirred with sugar and water, without bubbles, sold here as still or traditional lemonade. Lemon-lime sodas such as Sprite and 7Up are also commonly called lemonade in Britain, so a British recipe and an American one can use the same word for different glasses.
Three lemonades and what they do in a drink
Clear sparkling
- Carbonated
- Yes
- Appearance
- Colourless
- In the glass
- Sweet and crisp, light on lemon
- Our drinks
- Pimm’s Cup, Tokyo Iced Tea, Adios Motherfucker
Cloudy sparkling
- Carbonated
- Yes
- Appearance
- Pale yellow, opaque
- In the glass
- Sharper, with more juice
- Our drinks
- Snowball, Lynchburg Lemonade, Raspberry Lynchburg
Still (the American sense)
- Carbonated
- No
- Appearance
- Cloudy
- In the glass
- Sour-sweet and lemon-led
- Our drinks
- Arnold Palmer, John Daly
| Style | Carbonated | Appearance | In the glass | Our drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear sparkling | Yes | Colourless | Sweet and crisp, light on lemon | Pimm’s Cup, Tokyo Iced Tea, Adios Motherfucker |
| Cloudy sparkling | Yes | Pale yellow, opaque | Sharper, with more juice | Snowball, Lynchburg Lemonade, Raspberry Lynchburg |
| Still (the American sense) | No | Cloudy | Sour-sweet and lemon-led | Arnold Palmer, John Daly |
The clear fizzy kind overlaps most with lemon-lime soda. The two share their lack of colour, their sweetness and their bubbles, and a drink built for either usually takes the other.
The wrong lemonade changes the drink
Our Pimm’s Cup calls for the clear fizzy kind, because still or cloudy lemonade makes it flat and sour. The John Daly calls for still lemonade; British fizzy lemonade makes it sweeter and less sharp, since it brings sugar without enough acid to match the tannin in the tea.
Colour matters too. A cloudy lemonade is yellow, so it would turn a blue drink green, which is why the Adios Motherfucker asks for a clear one. In the Snowball, where advocaat has already supplied plenty of sugar, a sharp cloudy lemonade stops the drink becoming sickly.
British lemonade has fizzed since at least the 1830s
The sparkling drink is not a modern borrowing. Colin Emmins, in his history of soft drinks, found carbonated lemonade sold on British refreshment stalls in 1833. In American recipes the word keeps its still meaning, so a lemonade line in an American iced-tea drink usually means the still kind.
Small bottles, poured last
Sparkling lemonade starts losing its bubbles the moment the cap comes off, and a bottle resealed in the fridge is tired by the next evening, when it will taste sweeter too. Pour it in last, with the glass already full of ice, and stir once if at all. Homemade still lemonade is a fresh juice drink, so squeeze it on the day.
Using Lemonade
Usage
Poured last over ice to lengthen and sweeten in one go: 150ml of clear fizzy lemonade in a Pimm’s Cup, 120ml of a sharp sparkling one in a Snowball, 45ml of still lemonade with iced tea in an Arnold Palmer. It carries its own sugar, so the drink rarely needs syrup beside it.
Pro Tip
When an American recipe pairs lemonade with tea or whiskey in a short pour, it usually means the still kind. Squeeze it fresh with sugar instead of opening the fizzy bottle, or the drink ends up sweeter and softer than written.
Top Tips
- Read the recipe line before you buy: ours say clear, cloudy, sparkling or still, and each drink is balanced around that.
- Use clear lemonade in blue or green drinks; a yellow, cloudy one shifts the colour.
- Buy small bottles. A big one loses its sparkle before it is finished, and flat lemonade drinks sweeter.
- Hold back the syrup. Lemonade already brings the sugar a long drink needs.
Possible Substitutions
- Lemon-Lime Soda: In place of clear fizzy lemonade: as sweet, with a lime edge
- Soda Water: Topped onto squeezed lemon and a little syrup for a drier, sharper long drink
Production Method
Sparkling lemonade: carbonated water sweetened with sugar or a sweetener, sharpened with citric acid and flavoured with lemon juice or lemon flavouring; cloudy styles keep more juice and lemon solids. Still lemonade: squeezed lemons, sugar and water, uncarbonated.
History & Context
Carbonated lemonade is recorded on British refreshment stalls by 1833 (Colin Emmins, Soft Drinks: Their Origins and History, 1991). In North America the word still describes an uncarbonated drink of lemons, sugar and water.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is British lemonade?
Is English-style lemonade the same as Sprite or 7Up?
Which cocktails use lemonade?
Is lemonade alcoholic?
Cloudy or clear lemonade for cocktails?
Do I need syrup in a lemonade drink?
How long does lemonade keep once opened?
Can I make lemonade at home for cocktails?
Styles of lemonade
Made with Lemonade
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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 10 October 2026