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See why.The Best Lemonade
Whether you prefer sweeter lemonades or ones with mouth-puckering tartness, we’ve got you covered.
By Published Nov. 17, 2022.
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What You Need To Know
Is there anything more refreshing than an ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day? There’s a reason that we reach for lemonade in warm weather that goes beyond nostalgia and deliciousness. When we’re dehydrated, our mouths feel dry, a sign that we need to take in more liquid. Drinks that are sour cause us to salivate, more so than drinks with any of the other basic tastes of sweet, salty, bitter, and umami. After we’ve taken a sip of lemonade, our mouths remain wet, helping us to feel refreshed. Colonial Americans knew this well—they often drank shrubs, a sour mixture of fruit preserved in vinegar and water. Modern-day lemonade is thought to be based on a drink from 11th-century Egypt. At that time, traders sold and exported a drink called qatarmizat, a mixture of lemon juice and sugar, writes April White in Lemonade with Zest: 40 Thirst-Quenching Recipes.
To find the best store-bought lemonade we held tastings comparing eight major brands. We focused on refrigerated lemonades, which we prefer over shelf-stable. In previous reviews, shelf-stable brands consistently tasted less fresh and we knew we wanted bright, fresh lemonade. We liked many of the drinks, but our tasters had some preferences. We ended up with two great options. Which team are you on: sweet or tart?
What’s the Best Sweet-Tart Balance?
One brand was too sweet, without enough tartness to even the flavor out. All of the other lemonades we tasted were pleasant and had the requisite sweet and tart notes, but the overall balance of those flavors differed from product to product. Here we noticed an interesting pattern: Each of our tasters made a point of noting when a lemonade had the perfect balance of sweetness and bright, fresh lemon flavor, but their definitions of “perfect” differed (this phenomenon of differences in taste preference is well documented). Some tasters thought the drinks that skewed sweeter were the best, while others preferred lemonades that tasted mostly tart and only a little bit sweet. Your preferred lemonade is a personal choice, to an extent.
Looking for Lemon Flavor
The tartness in the lemonades mostly came from lemon juice, though one brand added orange juice too. A few lemonades also contained lemon oil, lemon pulp, and/or natural flavors, to enhance the lemon flavor. We liked some of those lemonades a lot, but these additions weren’t a determining factor in preferences. Overall, the lemonades in our lineup contained between 10 and 20 percent lemon juice. Those that contained more lemon juice—between 15 and 20 percent—tasted more tart than sweet, even when they were made with a relatively high amount of sugar. When shoppi...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
Our winning sweet lemonade was “satisfying,” “bright,” and “refreshing.” It had “lots of lemon [and] lots of sugar.” “It takes me right to a summer feeling,” described a taster. Another taster took the words right out of our mouths, noting that it’s “lemonade for people who want a sweet drink.”
Tasters who prefer tart flavors praised this “super punchy, really bright, very acidic” lemonade. “It starts sweet and then it ends tart,” which was exactly what many of us look for in a lemonade. It was “too sour” for some of our tasters, but if you like your lemonade on the tart side we suggest picking up this bottle. One taster accurately wrote, “I would think this is a natural, minimal ingredient brand.”
This “lemony” and “delicious” drink pleased many of our tasters. It was “sweeter and less tart” than some other lemonades in our lineup. One taster noted, “there’s a nice amount of pulp that lets me know it’s fresh and [made with] real lemon juice.” “I felt like I could drink a whole gallon of this on a hot day,” said another.
Tasters gave high scores to this “bright and fresh tasting” lemonade. It had a “really nice blend of sweet and tart.” A few tasters commented that they could have used more lemon flavor, but overall we thought it tasted “very refreshing and classic.” Lastly, this lemonade contained lots of “little bits of pulp” that some tasters liked.
This “citrusy” lemonade tasted “familiar” and was “very easy to drink.” Although “lemon sourness comes through at the back of your mouth,” this lemonade starts sweet and runs a bit sweet overall. One astute taster commented that this lemonade tasted “like substitute sweeteners,” which is likely from the use of sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
This sweet lemonade was still “tart enough” to be “very refreshing.” The combination of “really bright” and “pleasantly sweet” flavors made it “very enjoyable.” “I would be very pleased to have a glass of this lemonade on a hot day,” noted one happy taster.
Not Recommended
Although it’s refrigerated, this lemonade reminded tasters of the shelf-stable lemonades that we didn’t like in our last review. It was “syrupy” and “bright yellow” and “tasted more like sweet water” or “melted lemon candies” than lemonade. Overall, we wanted “more tartness and [more] freshness” and the “complexity” we found in other lemonades.
Discontinued
This tart lemonade had “strong lemon flavor” that several tasters liked. It’s the only lemonade in our lineup made with Meyer lemons, a cross between standard lemons and mandarin oranges. Typically Meyer lemons are less acidic and sweeter than standard lemons; however, this lemonade tasted “very puckery and tart” with a “bitter,” “acidic” finish. A few tasters noticed a slightly “musty” flavor that may be due to the monk fruit.
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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Carolyn Grillo
Carolyn is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She's a French-trained professional baker.
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