Country Time Lemonade is a little worrying to me. Let me explain why. On these shores, at least to me, lemonade means a carbonated drink that, except for special cases, tastes almost exactly nothing like lemon. To drink a glass of lemonade is effectively to drink a glass of sugared tonic water. That doesn’t entirely explain why this product worries me. That this Country Time Lemonade comes in powder form coupled with what I think of lemonade worries me as it makes me think that this powder is some kind of sherbet or pop rocks, that I will cause a reaction similar to pouring water on to sodium when I try to make this concoction. Even if I don’t need safety goggles and gloves to make this drink what could a powdered fizzy drink taste like? Crikey.
Of course, it could be that it isn’t a carbonated drink. I dunno. If I think to popular images of the US I remind myself of kids setting up lemonade stands outside their houses, selling lemonade to passers-by for 5 cents a glass. It is entirely possible that lemonade is something entirely different across the pond, and is more akin to a squash drink.
Before I find out, a quick scan of the packaging reveals some interesting information. The ingredients list informs me that the citric acid ‘provides tartness’, and other ingredients ‘control acidity’, ‘prevent caking’, and ‘preserve freshness’. That’s a bit more information that I’m used to, but it seems like a good idea. The packaging also provides its own ‘easy measure cap’, so that I can ensure the correct proportion of dust per, um, quart, whatever a quart is. Thankfully each quart is listed as making four servings of 8 fluid ounces each, and I’m pretty sure I have a measuring jug with fl. oz. on it. Right, one cap’s worth of dust in to some water, and let me give it a shot.
It’s a good thing I spotted that dead spider in my measuring jug, or this review could have been quite scathing.
I measured the powder out, added water, and I even had some ice handy. Luckily, it didn’t fizz, so it’s more squash-like in nature and even promises to be a lemony drink, and nothing like what I know as lemonade. sip, sip It tastes lemony, but a slightly fake lemony. The packaging doesn’t lie when it states that it is ‘not too tart and not too sweet’, and I think it is this timidity that makes it taste fake. A more tart drink would bring a stronger sense of lemon and perhaps be more refreshing too. Were it sweeter it would be more likely to appeal to kids, but it would be too much for me I would think. As it is, the drink is nothing particularly special, although that it came from powder is what makes it interesting. The container is compact and you can make as much or as little as you like at a time, and not have to store large bottles. And the drink is good enough. Maybe I should try it again when it’s not Winter and I have no heat working in my home.
Two points to finish. One is that this snack helps me get closer to my ambition to be the king of hobbies, beating Simon Quinlank finally. The second is that the final direction for making the drink concerns me and piques my interest: ‘do not store in a metal container’. I wonder why not.