American Favorite—Lemonade



With sugarcane available in colonial America, the making of lemonade became very popular. It became even more popular with everyone into the 1800s. The Temperance Movement – anti-Alcohol was growing in numbers and pushed as a replacement especially on hot days was lemonade. Slogans such as “Good-bye to liquor, here’s to lemonade”.

Even in the frontier regions during the 1800s people knew of lemonade but just did not always have available lemons. So if lemons were available this favorite drink made people lined up to get a glass full.

Lemonade was also a popular selling beverage at the traveling circuses that traveled the nation. Even the variety of ‘pink lemonade’ came from the circus and quickly became very popular. Different fruit juice was added for the pink color. Adults and children loved any form of lemonade, especially during the summer.

There is the long-standing tradition of children to have lemonade stands in front of their homes, selling the drink for 5 cents a glass.

So having lemonade or selling lemonade had to be part of your family history and should be included.

Photo: AD for purchasing lemons to make lemonade in the 1910s.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

Food and Drink of the 1800s

Home Remedies

Victorian Ladies in the Summer

< Return To Blog Yep, I had a lemonade stand. I tried to convince my friend and fellow entrepreneur that 1 for a dime and 2 for a quarter was NOT a deal but she made the signs anyway.
Sara N Martin 7/07/21


How about that! So neat.
alice 7/07/21




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