20 August: Lemonade Day

Today is Lemonade Day. Here are ten things you might not know about lemonade.

1. At the mention of the word "Lemonade" a different image will spring to mind depending on which part of the world you are in. In the USA and India, for example, you'll think of a still drink which is a blend of Water, sugar, and freshly squeezed Lemon juice. If you're in England, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, you'll be thinking of a fizzy drink, many brands of which include Lime juice as well as lemon. An American equivalent would be Sprite.
2. It's thought humans have been mixing lemon juice with water and sugar for millennia, but the first written reference to a kind of lemonade was around the year 1050 when the Persian poet Nasir-I-Khusraw wrote about a popular drink in Egypt at the time. It was called qatarzimat, and the Egyptians used to export it.
3. As it spread through Europe, it became particularly popular in Paris, where it made its debut on 20 August 1630, which is probably the reason that Lemonade Day is celebrated on 20 August. The drink was made from sparkling water and lemon juice sweetened with Honey.
4. In the 1670s, a group of lemonade sellers called the Compagnie de Limonadiers was formed. They would sell lemonade to people in the street, from tanks strapped to their backs.
5. In America, lemonade stands are a thing, often run by children on suburban streets in summer. The budding entrepreneurs make extra pocket money by selling the stuff to thirsty passers by - but health and safety laws look like they are making such enterprises things of the past. The first lemonade stands were set up in New York by Edward Bok who sold lemonade in Brooklyn street cars from 1873 to 1876. By 1879, numerous similar enterprises had sprung up, and they came to the attention of the New York Times. The NYT noted that stands selling a glass of lemonade for five cents was undercutting the bars, where people would have to stump up fifteen cents for a glass of lemonade.
6. Lemonade stands were such a popular method of money making for kids that they became the basis for a computer game called Lemonade Stand which was included for free on Apple II computers beginning in 1979. It was followed in 2002 by Lemonade Tycoon, and the idea is often used as an educational tool to teach children about business.
7. The “ade” in lemonade means that the product is not 100 percent juice. Hence the names of similar drinks, like cherryade. Lemonade with alcohol added is known as "hard lemonade".
8. Pink lemonade is made by adding a few drops of food colouring or the juice of a red fruit like strawberry or Grape. There are two stories about the possible origins of pink lemonade. One is that a circus man called Henry Allott was making lemonade when some red cinnamon candies fell in. The other story could put you off pink lemonade for life. This story tells of another circus vendor, Pete Conklin, who'd once day completely sold out of lemonade. Rather than shut up shop for the day, he went in search of water to make more, but the only water he could find was a tub which had been used for washing the performers' red tights and had been stained pink.
9. Lemonade is the official state drink of Arizona.
10. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is a popular motivational saying which may have originated in the 1915 obituary for Marshall Pinckney Wilder, an actor, writer, and humourist who was a dwarf and suffered numerous health problems. The writer, Elbert Hubbard, wrote of him: "He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade-stand.” However, similar ideas were around before that - In 1909, the Retailers Newspaper Men's Wear said: "In business turn obstacles into conveniences. When handed a lemon—make lemonade of it," and the Chicago School of Sanitary Instruction in 1911: "If anyone hands you a lemon, make lemonade of it. It is both healthful and pleasant to take." Of course, modern memes will tell you making lemonade from the lemons life gives you isn't the only option. You can make limoncello or a large Gin and Tonic; you can squeeze them in people's eyes; or freeze them and throw them at the people who are making your life difficult!

My latest books

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

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Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two