The earliest record of the precursor to lemonade hails from the Mediterranean coast of medieval Egypt. Kashkab was made from fermented barley (like beer) combined with mint, rue, black pepper and citron. Thanks to Jewish books like the Cairo Genizah, we know that Egypt traded and exported bottles of the sugary lemon juice concoction throughout the 13th century.

Flash forward to 17th Century Europe. Lemonade debuted in Paris on August 20, 1630. Made of sparkling water, lemon juice and honey, vendors sold it from tanks strapped to their backs. While popular across Europe, lemonade became so fashionable in Paris that in 1676 the vendors incorporated and formed a union called the Compagnie de Limonadiers.  At the time, “limonade” was thought to fend off the plague.

When Joseph Priestley invented an apparatus for making carbonated water, lemonade exploded onto the scene in London and in Philadelphia. Fueled by the British love for cane sugar and cheap imports from the Caribbean, lemonade was seen as the healthful alternative to rum.

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