Every so often, you realize that a food or drink has become such an enmeshed part of the fabric of society that you actually can’t explain what flavor it is specifically. I find it most often happens with foods that are referred to by their color. Like, what flavor is a Red Vine? Or blue Gatorade? The same can be said for pink lemonade, that delicious alternative to the standard yellow. Though I’m sure some folks drink it because the rosy hue complements their outfit, other people prefer its flavor over the classic. But, what IS that flavor? Let’s investigate before summer is in full swing!
What is pink lemonade?
Pink lemonade is a variant of traditional lemonades, which has an added ingredient that makes it pink. That added ingredient is often red food dye, strawberry juice, cranberry juice, or any other fruit juice that gives it a pink hue without overshadowing the lemon flavor. This means the flavor of pink lemonade is mostly just classic lemonade, but with the faint twist of whichever thing it is that’s making it pink. We were fooled all along! Pink lemonade is LEMON flavor!
What makes pink lemonade pink?
The simplest way to make pink lemonade is by adding a few drips of red food coloring to regular lemonade (don’t get freaked out, it WILL look like you’re putting blood in there but you aren’t…right?). Natural food colorings typically used include cranberry juice, grenadine, or crushed raspberries or strawberries. Some people are known to even use beets to get a deeper hue.
How is pink lemonade made?
Pink lemonade is made by taking a standard lemonade (natural, powdered, or bought ready-made) and adding any of the aforementioned red things to the mix! You can also get pink lemonade by wearing a pair of rose-tinted sunglasses while drinking the regular kind of lemonade. It may be a cheat, but before you start complaining, take a sip… pretty good right? Plus, now you’re making a bold fashion statement. You’re welcome!
Is pink lemonade strawberry lemonade?
It has been decreed that pink lemonade is technically the name given to all the kinds of lemonade that happens to be pink. Whether it contains strawberry flavoring or not! So yes, strawberry lemonade is a type of pink lemonade. But, by this logic, a nice big glass of “uncooked chicken lemonade” is also pink lemonade, so make sure to double-check!
The next time you’re shooting the breeze with pals at a backyard barbecue, a frosty pink lemonade clutched in your hand, take comfort in the fact that pink lemonade is its own thing. Unencumbered by the limitations of a standard fruit flavor, it transcends to being but a color! Anything and nothing all at once. Pretty heavy stuff for a drink that you can make in 60 seconds!
