Lemonade: Worlds Best Juice
For some time now, I’ve contended that lemonade is the best juice there is. Its refreshing, its summery, its visually appealing and it goes with everything. But time and time again I come up against the same argument, “Lemonade is not a juice.”
I gotta tell you, this argument is stupid. It’s made from the juice of lemons. Therefore meets the juice requirement. Sure there is sugar added – why not. Make the great sour juice from lemons even better. No one questions cranberry juice, in fact, cranberry even says juice in the name. If it was lemonade juice, no one would have any complaints.
No, what everyone will do is point to orange, apple and cherry juice. Like this stuff is the purest form of fruit juice. Well, here’s what they don’t tell you, they have a natural advantage, each one is naturally packed with sugar*. Equal to a can of soda pop – and I don’t think anyone would say soda pop was good for you.
- Apple (10 tsp of sugar)
- Orange (8 tsp of sugar)
- Cherry (9 tsp of sugar)
You know how much sugar is in Lemonade? Like 6 tsps (trust me, I did some intense math involving ratios and the butterfly method), so lemonade is just trying to level the playing field but doesn’t even come close. Lemonade needs less sugar to be like 45 times better than any of those other sick juices. It’s like one teaspoon sugar equals 30 units of incredible lemon flavor.
Now, I want to set up a scenario for you. You’re on a patio. It’s summer. The sun is just beginning its descent west. You have to have a juice in hand. What do you pick? Yep, lemonade. Or, an Arnold Palmer, which is probably the best summer drink. You’re not gonna sit out there with apple juice like some baby or with orange juice/cherry juice/grape juice. No. you’re gonna pick the king of juices.
On another note, if you were designing an ultra modern looking living room and had a glass bowl full of one fruit on your coffee table, what would you pick? You guessed it, lemons – the key ingredient to lemonade.
I rest my case.
*Trust me, I looked it up on the Internet.
except when it’s incorporated into beer… damn you leinenkugel’s, luring me in with the fruitie-pebbles goodness that is your sunset wheat, then slapping me in the face with that god-awful concoction that is summer shandy!
This has been a hot topic of debate for quite some time now, and I’m willing to concede that lemonade is juice if it’s made from the juice of lemons.
However, I suspect you’re mixing Country Time Lemonade powder with water and that does not fly. That would be like calling Kool-aid and Tang juice when in fact they are artificially flavored drink mixes (thanks Wikipedia).
So, if you’re squeezing lemon after lemon into a pitcher to create an actual fruit juice beverage I applaud your effort. Even buying ‘Simply Lemonade’ from your local grocer is a step in the right direction. But if you’re mixing 2 tbsp of sick powder into a glass of water, you are not drinking juice and that’s a god damn fact.