Getting a Jumpstart on Lemonade Season
Explore herbaceous, caffeinated and “swicy” flavor profiles
Getting a Jumpstart on Lemonade Season
Explore herbaceous, caffeinated and “swicy” flavor profiles
By Leigh Kunkel
April 23, 2024
By Leigh Kunkel
April 23, 2024
The nostalgia that a glass of lemonade produces may be unmatched: One sip evokes hot summer days, cookouts and long afternoons at the beach. That sweet-sour balance of lemon juice and sugar is infinitely adaptable, making it the perfect canvas for experimentation. Maybe that’s why new takes on the tangy beverage have been popping up everywhere from bars to cafés to the dinner menu at full-service restaurants.
Looking to level up your lemonade game? Whether it’s new flavor combos or unexpected formats, we have some ideas that will brighten up your menu and guest palates.
The Original Refresher
Drinks made with lemon and a sweetener have been consumed for centuries and go by dozens of names: qatarmizat in Egypt; nimbu pani in India and Pakistan, where it often contains spices like saffron or cumin; citronnade in France. Of course, there have been some historic lemonade missteps – like the British recipe published in 1827 that included calf-foot jelly and raw eggs – but generally, the sweet combination of citrus and sugar is foolproof. While the proportions and exact ingredients may change based on regional preference, the enduring popularity is undeniable.
At Yellow Café, a Levantine-inspired concept in Washington D.C., Coffee Director Ayat Elhag is taking the flavors of the Middle East and using them to show guests a whole new side of the classic drink. The sparkling sumac lemonade is a seasonal favorite.
“We make an oleo-saccharum with lemon peel and sumac imported from Palestine,” Elhag says. “Mixed with a little orange blossom water and Topo Chico, it’s super bubbly, lightly floral and delightfully refreshing.”
Caffeine Kick
Photo Credit: Rey Lopez (left) and Hawkeye Johnson (right) At Yellow Café in Washington, D.C., the Yellow ‘Spro not only marries coffee and lemonade, it also takes inspiration from iced tea. The seasonal beverage features two shots of espresso, tonic water and simple syrup made of charred lemon and Assam tea.
The Arnold Palmer, a 50/50 mix of iced tea and lemonade, has been a staple of American menus for decades, but some spots, including Yellow Café, are looking for new ways to combine citrus and caffeine. Building on the momentum of the espresso tonic, the cafe’s Yellow ‘Spro, made with espresso, tonic and a charred lemon-Assam tea syrup, takes on two beverage trends to create something totally new.
“Espresso tonics were definitely having a thing a few summers ago, and it really leans into fruitier, brighter and lighter flavor notes that coffee can have,” Elhag says. “Charring the lemon and the Assam tea gives it a nice base note so the whole drink doesn’t turn into an acid bomb.”
And ever since 2016, when the now-closed Brooklyn café Supercrown Coffee created the Laura Palmer, an iced coffee-lemonade drink named after the “Twin Peaks” character, other beverage developers have been jumping on the trend.
But while it’s been popular at a number of independent coffee shops, Starbucks’ foray into cold brew and lemonade was significantly less successful, with consumers flocking to social media to air their grievances. It’s a cautionary tale that while coffee and lemon flavors can complement one another, the combination requires a bit of trial and error to achieve the ideal balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness. (To Starbucks’ credit, other lemonade iterations, like the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher and the Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade have become popular menu items.)
When done correctly, the odd coupling yields a nuanced flavor unlike any other. As Elhag explains, the citrus brightens and amplifies similar flavors in the coffee and draws out the bitter drink’s fruitiness. Plus, the inherent acidity makes everything lighter and more refreshing. In other words, a perfect new twist on two classics.
Fruity, Floral and Fiery
Photo Credit: IHOP / It’s Boba Time Fresh fruit, lemon-lime soda and watermelon syrup differentiate IHOP’s new lemonade-based Watermelon Splasher, while colorful layers of strawberry lemonade and butterfly pea tea make the Galaxy Iced Tea at It’s Boba Time stand out.
Lemonade has proven its flavor-carrying abilities, with fruit-forward flavors keeping this category fresh over the past several years. Berry versions like strawberry, raspberry and blueberry—often with the bonus of whole fruit inclusions—have helped pave the path for further flavor infusions. Now, flavors like lavender, ube, prickly pear, yuzu, hibiscus, tangerine, dragon fruit and passionfruit are leading the way. Other trend-forward ingredients like butterfly pea tea and blue spirulina offer eye-catching appeal for layered lemonades.
Lemonade is also an ideal canvas for textural and whimsical additions that appeal to younger consumers. Fast-growing coffee chain Dutch Bros, based in Grants Pass, Ore., offered limited-time boba builds this spring, including a Poppin’ Boba Berry Lemonade—blackberry lemonade with strawberry boba. It’s Boba Time, based in Los Angeles, features star-shaped mango jellies in its strawberry lemonade-based Galaxy Iced Tea, with organic butterfly pea tea.
For an indulgent “loaded lemonade” take, late last year, IHOP’s Wonka-themed limited-time menu included the vibrantly colored, Insta-worthy Dreamy Lemonade, a prickly pear-flavored version rimmed with a cream-cheese icing and rainbow sprinkles and topped with a cloud of cotton candy.
As “swicy” flavors (combining sweet and spicy) continue to sweep menus, lemonades mark a largely untapped category. Earlier this month, Starbucks made a major splash with its new line of Spicy Lemonade Refreshers, featuring three tropical flavors: Spicy Dragonfruit, Spicy Pineapple and Spicy Strawberry, all with the addition of a proprietary chile powder blend. Already the collection is generating positive buzz.
As this trend continues, we’ll likely see more heat-spiked lemonades. For inspiration, tap into the trending mangonada flavor system (The Main Squeeze in Kyle, Texas, menus a version with chamoy and Tajin), or look to the margarita category, where spicy is the play of the day.
Unlike bitter-leaning coffee-lemonade concoctions, incorporating spicy notes into lemonade is more straightforward and intuitive. The lemon isn’t a blank canvas, but it does pair well with fruity and floral flavors, which are often the primary source of sweetness in the swicy trend. For example, the addition of mango and a bit of habanero heat brings vacation vibes to the standard lemonade, while notes of pistachio and spiced vanilla double-down on the lemon’s Mediterranean roots. And in terms of menuing, these blends are cost-effective and efficient; operators can cross-utilize juices, syrups and spices that are already in their inventory.
Coming in Cold
Photo Credit: Red Robin Lemonade needn’t be restricted to the beverage menu. At Red Robin, the Freckled Lemonade Cake is layered with lemon mousse and white chocolate bits and then topped with lemon curd and strawberry purée.
Frozen versions are a popular option, upping the indulgence on the classic summertime sipper. Chains like Dutch Bros and Chick-fil-A build upon their house frozen dairy bases to develop seasonal flavored frozen lemonades.
TikTok users have been especially prolific in sharing their own creations, like whipped lemonade, a successor to the early-pandemic whipped coffee trend that took the social network by storm. The result is somewhere between a milkshake and soft serve, with body from the whipped cream and sweetness provided by condensed milk.
And, like nearly all beverage categories, lemonades are easily upgraded by the addition of bubbles. In Miami, The Alley offers a straightforward option in its Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade, with raspberry, freshly squeezed lemon and club soda. IHOP’s new Watermelon Splasher is a blend of lemonade, lemon-lime soda and watermelon syrup, complete with fresh blueberries and cubes of watermelon.
At Swig, a growing, Salt Lake City-based soda shop, lemonade takes an unexpected turn, with soda mix-ins, contrasting textures and gummy garnishes. The blush-pink Hula Girl sports a luscious mouthfeel, thanks to the addition of coconut cream to the concoction of light lemonade with mango, pineapple, strawberry and Sprite. Meanwhile, the bright-blue Shark Attack ups the sense of fun with a combination of lemonade, Sprite, blue raspberry syrup and a gummy shark topper for good measure.
It should be noted that the potential of lemonade stretches beyond the beverage menu. The citrus and sugar make everyone’s summertime favorite the perfect base for a brine: Chef Chris Scott shone on season 15 of “Top Chef” with a lemonade fried chicken recipe that had been passed down in his family through generations. And there’s no shortage of lemonade-themed desserts, like the strawberry lemonade pie from Birdie’s Pie Shop in Spokane, Wash., and the Freckled Lemonade Cake at Red Robin.
With a global pedigree and long history, lemonade invites menu developers to play with new variations across different cuisines, dayparts and even dishes. Whether you’re infusing spicy notes into the refreshing beverage, blending it in coffee or applying it to a savory dish, the combination of nostalgia and novelty makes lemonade a perennial refreshment.
The nostalgia that a glass of lemonade produces may be unmatched: One sip evokes hot summer days, cookouts and long afternoons at the beach. That sweet-sour balance of lemon juice and sugar is infinitely adaptable, making it the perfect canvas for experimentation. Maybe that’s why new takes on the tangy beverage have been popping up everywhere from bars to cafés to the dinner menu at full-service restaurants.
Looking to level up your lemonade game? Whether it’s new flavor combos or unexpected formats, we have some ideas that will brighten up your menu and guest palates.
The Original Refresher
Drinks made with lemon and a sweetener have been consumed for centuries and go by dozens of names: qatarmizat in Egypt; nimbu pani in India and Pakistan, where it often contains spices like saffron or cumin; citronnade in France. Of course, there have been some historic lemonade missteps – like the British recipe published in 1827 that included calf-foot jelly and raw eggs – but generally, the sweet combination of citrus and sugar is foolproof. While the proportions and exact ingredients may change based on regional preference, the enduring popularity is undeniable.
At Yellow Café, a Levantine-inspired concept in Washington D.C., Coffee Director Ayat Elhag is taking the flavors of the Middle East and using them to show guests a whole new side of the classic drink. The sparkling sumac lemonade is a seasonal favorite.
“We make an oleo-saccharum with lemon peel and sumac imported from Palestine,” Elhag says. “Mixed with a little orange blossom water and Topo Chico, it’s super bubbly, lightly floral and delightfully refreshing.”
Caffeine Kick
Photo Credit: Rey Lopez (left) and Hawkeye Johnson (right) At Yellow Café in Washington, D.C., the Yellow ‘Spro not only marries coffee and lemonade, it also takes inspiration from iced tea. The seasonal beverage features two shots of espresso, tonic water and simple syrup made of charred lemon and Assam tea.
The Arnold Palmer, a 50/50 mix of iced tea and lemonade, has been a staple of American menus for decades, but some spots, including Yellow Café, are looking for new ways to combine citrus and caffeine. Building on the momentum of the espresso tonic, the cafe’s Yellow ‘Spro, made with espresso, tonic and a charred lemon-Assam tea syrup, takes on two beverage trends to create something totally new.
“Espresso tonics were definitely having a thing a few summers ago, and it really leans into fruitier, brighter and lighter flavor notes that coffee can have,” Elhag says. “Charring the lemon and the Assam tea gives it a nice base note so the whole drink doesn’t turn into an acid bomb.”
And ever since 2016, when the now-closed Brooklyn café Supercrown Coffee created the Laura Palmer, an iced coffee-lemonade drink named after the “Twin Peaks” character, other beverage developers have been jumping on the trend.
But while it’s been popular at a number of independent coffee shops, Starbucks’ foray into cold brew and lemonade was significantly less successful, with consumers flocking to social media to air their grievances. It’s a cautionary tale that while coffee and lemon flavors can complement one another, the combination requires a bit of trial and error to achieve the ideal balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness. (To Starbucks’ credit, other lemonade iterations, like the Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher and the Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade have become popular menu items.)
When done correctly, the odd coupling yields a nuanced flavor unlike any other. As Elhag explains, the citrus brightens and amplifies similar flavors in the coffee and draws out the bitter drink’s fruitiness. Plus, the inherent acidity makes everything lighter and more refreshing. In other words, a perfect new twist on two classics.
Fruity, Floral and Fiery
Photo Credit: IHOP / It’s Boba Time Fresh fruit, lemon-lime soda and watermelon syrup differentiate IHOP’s new lemonade-based Watermelon Splasher, while colorful layers of strawberry lemonade and butterfly pea tea make the Galaxy Iced Tea at It’s Boba Time stand out.
Lemonade has proven its flavor-carrying abilities, with fruit-forward flavors keeping this category fresh over the past several years. Berry versions like strawberry, raspberry and blueberry—often with the bonus of whole fruit inclusions—have helped pave the path for further flavor infusions. Now, flavors like lavender, ube, prickly pear, yuzu, hibiscus, tangerine, dragon fruit and passionfruit are leading the way. Other trend-forward ingredients like butterfly pea tea and blue spirulina offer eye-catching appeal for layered lemonades.
Lemonade is also an ideal canvas for textural and whimsical additions that appeal to younger consumers. Fast-growing coffee chain Dutch Bros, based in Grants Pass, Ore., offered limited-time boba builds this spring, including a Poppin’ Boba Berry Lemonade—blackberry lemonade with strawberry boba. It’s Boba Time, based in Los Angeles, features star-shaped mango jellies in its strawberry lemonade-based Galaxy Iced Tea, with organic butterfly pea tea.
For an indulgent “loaded lemonade” take, late last year, IHOP’s Wonka-themed limited-time menu included the vibrantly colored, Insta-worthy Dreamy Lemonade, a prickly pear-flavored version rimmed with a cream-cheese icing and rainbow sprinkles and topped with a cloud of cotton candy.
As “swicy” flavors (combining sweet and spicy) continue to sweep menus, lemonades mark a largely untapped category. Earlier this month, Starbucks made a major splash with its new line of Spicy Lemonade Refreshers, featuring three tropical flavors: Spicy Dragonfruit, Spicy Pineapple and Spicy Strawberry, all with the addition of a proprietary chile powder blend. Already the collection is generating positive buzz.
As this trend continues, we’ll likely see more heat-spiked lemonades. For inspiration, tap into the trending mangonada flavor system (The Main Squeeze in Kyle, Texas, menus a version with chamoy and Tajin), or look to the margarita category, where spicy is the play of the day.
Unlike bitter-leaning coffee-lemonade concoctions, incorporating spicy notes into lemonade is more straightforward and intuitive. The lemon isn’t a blank canvas, but it does pair well with fruity and floral flavors, which are often the primary source of sweetness in the swicy trend. For example, the addition of mango and a bit of habanero heat brings vacation vibes to the standard lemonade, while notes of pistachio and spiced vanilla double-down on the lemon’s Mediterranean roots. And in terms of menuing, these blends are cost-effective and efficient; operators can cross-utilize juices, syrups and spices that are already in their inventory.
Coming in Cold
Photo Credit: Red Robin Lemonade needn’t be restricted to the beverage menu. At Red Robin, the Freckled Lemonade Cake is layered with lemon mousse and white chocolate bits and then topped with lemon curd and strawberry purée.
Frozen versions are a popular option, upping the indulgence on the classic summertime sipper. Chains like Dutch Bros and Chick-fil-A build upon their house frozen dairy bases to develop seasonal flavored frozen lemonades.
TikTok users have been especially prolific in sharing their own creations, like whipped lemonade, a successor to the early-pandemic whipped coffee trend that took the social network by storm. The result is somewhere between a milkshake and soft serve, with body from the whipped cream and sweetness provided by condensed milk.
And, like nearly all beverage categories, lemonades are easily upgraded by the addition of bubbles. In Miami, The Alley offers a straightforward option in its Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade, with raspberry, freshly squeezed lemon and club soda. IHOP’s new Watermelon Splasher is a blend of lemonade, lemon-lime soda and watermelon syrup, complete with fresh blueberries and cubes of watermelon.
At Swig, a growing, Salt Lake City-based soda shop, lemonade takes an unexpected turn, with soda mix-ins, contrasting textures and gummy garnishes. The blush-pink Hula Girl sports a luscious mouthfeel, thanks to the addition of coconut cream to the concoction of light lemonade with mango, pineapple, strawberry and Sprite. Meanwhile, the bright-blue Shark Attack ups the sense of fun with a combination of lemonade, Sprite, blue raspberry syrup and a gummy shark topper for good measure.
It should be noted that the potential of lemonade stretches beyond the beverage menu. The citrus and sugar make everyone’s summertime favorite the perfect base for a brine: Chef Chris Scott shone on season 15 of “Top Chef” with a lemonade fried chicken recipe that had been passed down in his family through generations. And there’s no shortage of lemonade-themed desserts, like the strawberry lemonade pie from Birdie’s Pie Shop in Spokane, Wash., and the Freckled Lemonade Cake at Red Robin.
With a global pedigree and long history, lemonade invites menu developers to play with new variations across different cuisines, dayparts and even dishes. Whether you’re infusing spicy notes into the refreshing beverage, blending it in coffee or applying it to a savory dish, the combination of nostalgia and novelty makes lemonade a perennial refreshment.
About the Author
LEIGH KUNKEL is a freelance journalist with more than a decade of restaurant industry experience as a server, bartender and sommelier. She has written about restaurant operations for B2B publications, as well as foodservice brands, including Beam Suntory and Dawn Foods. She specializes in covering flavor, ingredient and cuisine trends. Leigh has also covered the food and beverage world for a wide range of consumer outlets such as The New York Times, Eater and Vinepair.
