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It is a common belief that lemonade and pink lemonade are the same, despite their colors. However these two summer drinks differentiate quite a bit!
The difference between lemonade and pink lemonade is their ingredients. Lemonade consists of water, lemons, and sugar. Meanwhile, pink lemonade also contains these same ingredients, with the addition of fruit juice. However most often, the difference can be attributed to food dye.
This beverage has been in the United States since the 1800s, yet the common public seems to be unaware of what causes the difference between the two types of lemonade. While lemonade and pink lemonade are very similar, there are still key differences between them.
Ingredients in lemonade
Although there are few ingredients within lemonade, these ingredients are considered to be crucial.
This is a very simple drink to make, which is what makes it so common among households. The key ingredients you need to make lemonade are water, sugar, and of course, lemons. However there are ways to spice up this sweet and sour drink.
For example, within the original modern lemonade, honey was among one of the ingredients. Honey, specifically natural honey, is still common to put within lemonade. However despite being one of the original ingredients it is now considered to be a more rare addition to lemonade.
In addition to natural honey, other common additives to lemonade include corn syrup and simple syrup.
Ingredients in pink lemonade
Despite lemonade and pink lemonade being similar, there are still differences between the two drinks.
Of course, to make the base for pink lemonade you need the obvious ingredients such as water, sugar, and lemons. Once you have these ingredients, you can combine fruit juices to make the lemonade pink.
Among these fruit juices are strawberry, cranberry, cherry, grapefruit, and raspberry juice. Pink lemonade can even be made by crushing up strawberries. However the most common ingredient to make lemonade pink is red food dye.
Differences of origins
Lemonade is the most classic summertime beverage. This can be credited to the Egyptians for originally introducing it.
However, the more modern lemonade we all know and love today comes from Europe, during the 17th century. More specifically, it comes from Paris, France.
It was not until the 18th century that lemonade was introduced into the United States, when Europeans began to settle there. Lemonade gained its fame within the United States when it became an important aspect of the Temperance Movement.
The Temperance Movement is the reason for the popularity of lemonade within the United States. The Temperance Movement was an attempt to prohibit the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages within America. Lemonade became the official drink of this movement as it was being pushed to be a better alternative to alcohol.
During the time of the Temperance Movement, many disagreed with the outlaw of alcohol. Rutherford B. Hayes was the president during this controversial era, and his wife was actually nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” as a way to mock the idea of replacing alcohol with lemonade.
Where pink lemonade originated is an interesting topic, as it is unknown who truly came up with this timeless drink. However there are two theories of how it was created.
The first theory is that Henry E. Allot, known as Bunk Allen, accidentally created what is now known as pink lemonade. In 1872, it is said that while he was preparing lemonade for the circus he had joined, he accidentally dropped many cinnamon candies within the lemonade. Because of the red dye on the candies, it almost instantly turned the lemonade a pink color. Despite this accident, Henry E. Allot decided to serve this new “pink lemonade” anyway.
The most common difference between lemonade and pink lemonade is the addition of red dye. In fact, within this theory of the original pink lemonade, this was the exact difference.
The second theory of where pink lemonade originates comes from Pete Conklin. In 1857, which was an entire year before Henry E. Allott was even born, is when this claim comes from. Pete Conklin was a lemonade vendor and one day ran out of water to make his lemonade. Panicking, Conklin used a tub of dirty water that was used to ring out pink colored tights.
If Pete Conklin’s tale is true, then the first account of pink lemonade can be attributed to pink dyed dirty water.
Are pink and strawberry lemonade the same?
Pink lemonade and strawberry lemonade can be the same, however this is not always the case. Pink lemonade is more of an umbrella term which references any lemonade that has a pink hue.
While strawberry lemonade is always considered a type of pink lemonade, pink lemonade is not always strawberry lemonade. This is because pink lemonade can be pink due to other fruit juices such as raspberry or cranberry, or even merely because of red food dye.
Differences in taste
Pink lemonade has a sweeter, richer taste than regular lemonade does. Pink lemonade tastes this way due to the fruit juice added within it. The fruit juice naturally dilutes the sour, lemon taste and therefore makes it sweeter.
When the pink lemonade is only pink because of the addition of red food dye, pink lemonade tastes the same as classic lemonade.
Lemonade has a naturally sour taste because of the lemons. The lemons provide a tarte taste that is enjoyed by people all around the world.
Which one is healthier
In the majority of cases, pink lemonade is created by fusing together water, sugar, lemons, and red food dye. Due to this disappointing fact, there is commonly no nutritional difference between the two lemonades.
Although both lemonade and pink lemonade are generally healthier alternatives to other sugary drinks such as soda pop, it is still a sugary drink and should not be consumed excessively. The over abundance of sugar is unhealthy and can be a cause of weight gain. Especially among the pink lemonade that incorporates fruit juice, the excess sugar can cause serious health problems if consumed very often.