Is there anything more American than a glass of cold, refreshing lemonade on a hot summer’s day? Whether made from freshly squeezed lemons or stirred vigorously from a powdered mix, the sweet and sour combination once thought to prevent scurvy, long touted as an alternative to alcohol — before, during, and after Prohibition — and often sold on street corners by enterprising children is arguably as American as apple pie.
It was with this excitement — and a week of unbearable heat — that I embarked upon a survey of the lemonade made in and around Lexington, a town known for its revolutionary roots and Americana taste. What began as a fun summer tasting quickly picked up an unexpected storyline reflective of Lexington’s growing AAPI population. Said differently: limes are found in abundance in southeast Asia whereas lemons are not native, so the citrus drink of choice in much of Asia is limeade. In Lexington where neither fruit is native, but lemons make a shorter journey, there are in fact more freshly made lime-based drinks than there are lemon-based, and the people behind most of these beverages are of Asian or Asian American descent.
CoCo is a twenty-seven year old Taiwanese drink company that specializes in bubble and fruit teas. Lemonade doesn’t fit neatly into any of their drink categories, but can be found under fruit teas and is offered with their standard drink customizations: three ice levels and five options for sweetness: 100%, 70%, 50%, 30%, and 0% sugar.
Rhode Island classic Del’s Lemonade brought their renowned soft frozen lemonade to Arlington Heights in 2021. Although Del’s offers multiple flavors, lemonade is their most popular. Order thoughtfully — the soft icy texture is what truly makes Del’s stand out; once it melts, the syrupy remains are more intense than CoCo’s 100% sweetness. Owner Paul Piatelli says that medium is the most popular size. Del’s will sell you a gallon of soft frozen lemonade if you ask, but if money and time are no object, order a small and get back in line each time you want more because the soft ice is what makes this treat special. From the moment you take ownership of your cup, you are in a race with thermodynamics and the sun to get to the bottom of your cup first. That said, anyone who brings a gallon of Del’s to my next cookout automatically earns themselves a return invite.
On Tuesday afternoons, Butternut Bakehouse brings an oversized cooler of freshly mixed lemonade to the Lexington Farmer’s Market. Their recipe resembles local coffee shop Revival’s: gourmet pasteurized lemon juice, simple syrup (sugar and water), and water. Revival opts for a lemonade that is about 8% lemon juice and 9% simple syrup; Butternut’s formula leans heavier on the simple syrup.
Kin Dee Thai & Pho offers limeade, not lemonade, with each serving mixed to order and the limes squeezed by hand. Mixed with sugar, ice, and water, Kin Dee’s limeade features all of the natural sweetness of lime without the sensation of any added sweetener — drinking it is like biting into the fruit after a dose of miraculin, the miracle berry that changes one’s perception of sour to sweet.
Avenue Deli also opts to offer limeade over lemonade. They squeeze their limes by hand and mix each drink to order with their house-made simple syrup, ice, and water. Avenue Deli’s limeade is slightly more restrained in sweetness, ideal for those seeking out the sour flavor alongside the sweet.
To drink a little history, order the raspberry lime rickey at Rancatore’s, made with seltzer. The origins of this drink date back to the 1880’s and began with rye whiskey and lemon. Missouri Representative William Henry Hatch is credited with changing the citrus in a rickey from lemon to lime; later on, the liquor of choice switched to gin until Prohibition – at which point the rickey — and most everything else — became a nonalcoholic beverage. While some parts of the country added cherry syrup to the lime rickey base, New England opted for raspberry puree. At Rancatore’s, the raspberry adds more fruit flavor than sweetness and when mixed with seltzer, creates a dry, clean-tasting and refreshing beverage. For a sweeter treat, ask for a rickey made with ginger ale and imagine yourself at a soda fountain at the turn of the 20th century.
For a unique limeade experience, head to VietCitron in Burlington for a salted lime & dried plum drink — what they dub “natural gatorade.” General manager Anne explains that in Vietnamese culture, salted limes are used as a common home remedy. To make this drink, limes are brined and then ground into a paste alongside pickled Asian plums. Sugar, lime juice, water (either still or sparkling), and ice is added to dilute the drink — but don’t be confused; sugar is not there to sweeten this drink. Just as a dash of salt is often used to enhance the flavors of a dish, so too is the sugar in this recipe. Slurping the bits of salted lime and plum feels like the savory version of drinking boba tea; smaller than most boba, but satisfying to chew and packed with flavor. Salted lime and dried plum drink is offered year-round at VietCitron and most popular during the summer, but it is an acquired taste and regularly outsold by their classic refreshing limeade — made without salt.
Love at First Bite offers their take on lemonade, Thai iced tea lemonade. For a drink with the word “lemonade” in its name, its color and texture are both shocking; the color is a deep reddish orange like Thai tea and the mouthfeel is like cream. If the caffeine from the black tea won’t keep you up all night, this drink makes for a satisfying zero-proof nightcap on a warm summer evening. Not quite lemonade, not quite ice cream — but something reminiscent of both.
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