Lemonade

Aug 20

Lemonade Day

Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day

Lemonade Day

Lemonade

Today's Musings, History & Folklore

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then find someone whose life gave them whisky.” 🤪

Need something refreshing on these hot summer days? Lemonade perhaps?

Or perhaps you prefer your lemonade in dance form! This three couple strathspey by devisor Trudy Roughgarden was inspired by watching a dancer go in the wrong direction on a reel! She writes: "The compensating movements gave me the germ of an idea for the figure in bars 9-16 (my attempt to make lemonade out of lemons)… This original figure (Lemonade figure) was also dubbed 'The Main Squeeze' figure by one of the dancers…"

Lemonade has been cooling people down for nearly a thousand years. One of its earliest known ancestors appeared in medieval Egypt, where 11th- and 12th-century records describe a popular drink of lemon juice and sugar. By the 1600s, lemonade was fashionable in Paris, where vendors carried tanks through the streets selling glasses to thirsty customers—an early ancestor of the lemonade stand.

As sugar became more available, lemonade spread across Europe and America. By the 19th century, it was a fixture at fairs, circuses, picnics, and temperance gatherings, where it provided a respectable alternative to alcohol. Pink lemonade became a circus favorite too, although its origin is lost among several wonderfully dubious show-business legends.

And for those who prefer their lemonade with a little more kick, lemon and whisky/whiskey have a long and happy relationship. The classic Whiskey Sour combines whiskey, lemon, and sugar; the Gold Rush substitutes honey for sugar; and the Scottish Penicillin pairs lemon and honey-ginger with blended Scotch and a smoky Islay float. And a Whiskey Collins adds soda water, making it essentially sparkling whiskey lemonade, while Lynchburg Lemonade combines Tennessee whiskey, orange liqueur, lemon, and lemon-lime soda.

So many choices, and now when life gives you lemons, a dance! 🕺 💃 💛 💛 💛 🍋 🍋 🍋 🌞 🌞 🌞 🤪

Lemonade

Lemonade has a surprisingly colorful history for such a simple drink. One of its earliest documented ancestors was qatarmizat, a sweetened lemon drink enjoyed in medieval Egypt more than 900 years ago. By 17th-century Paris, lemonade had become so fashionable that vendors known as limonadiers wandered the streets selling it from tanks strapped to their backs. In America, lemonade later acquired a rather wholesome reputation: during the temperance movement of the 19th century, it was enthusiastically promoted as a respectable alternative to alcohol. Even First Lady Lucy Hayes became associated with the drink after alcohol was banned from White House functions during her husband’s presidency, earning her the nickname “Lemonade Lucy.”

Then there’s pink lemonade, whose beginnings are wonderfully murky. Several competing legends trace it to 19th-century American circuses—one claims a vendor accidentally dropped red cinnamon candies into a batch; another, considerably less appetizing story, involves water that had been used to wash a performer’s red tights! Lemonade also has some genuine science behind its refreshing reputation: its mixture of acid, sweetness and aroma stimulates saliva, helping a dry mouth feel refreshed, while a little sugar and salt can make a lemon drink function somewhat like a simple rehydration beverage. And although the proverbial advice to “make lemonade” when life hands you lemons feels ancient, the familiar expression is only about a century old.

For more fascinating lemonade facts, click the glass of lemonade!

Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!