Talk:Lemon, lime and bitters

Latest comment: 4 months ago by 124.170.126.2 in topic True Lemon Lime and Bitters.

I added a bit in to disambiguate for Americans who would read this and expect to use what they know as "lemonade" to make a LLB. Not happy at all with my job, so feel free to tinker.70.180.211.82 (talk) 18:55, 17 May 2008 (UTC)Reply

LLB straight up? edit

I have never EVER heard of lemon lime and bitters straight up it is ALWAYS served with ice, the colder this drink is the better it tastes! Why is it written as straight up?

Hawk the druid (talk) 15:22, 20 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

Never seen or heard of it being drunk that way either, always with ice. --Dr DBW (talk) 02:39, 11 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

True Lemon Lime and Bitters. edit

I must insist on those people using Lemonade as thse for a lemon, lime and biters; Where is the "Lemon" in Lemonade? Many years ago LLB was made with a Lemon Lime Cordial so using Lemonade gave the drink its Lemon colour, however, the cordial avaiable now is only Lime thus the use of a Lemon drink ie Solo, Lift etc is required to give the drink its original Lemon colour. Please do your traditional research and ask som the old time bar tenders who truly made an Australian "lemon" drink. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.217.48.3 (talk) 23:48, 23 February 2011 (UTC)Reply

@121.217.48.3 it's made with lemon cordial, lime cordial, bitters and soda water. full stop end of story 124.170.126.2 (talk) 03:40, 31 December 2023 (UTC)Reply

Agreed, also, making it with lift or solo tastes better ;). Dimand99 (talk) 05:14, 7 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

I'm pretty sure that you're wrong, so I've reverted the article to the lemonade version (which was a stable consensus) until you can provide a reliable source. I don't think you'll succeed, for two reasons:

1) When I did an Australian bar course (Alex Beamont's cocktail school in Parramatta) the teacher insisted we use lemonade, not lemon squash.

2) When you do a Google search, "lemon lime and bitters" + lemonade gets 45,600 hits, while + "lemon squash" only gets 5,480.

Nick (talk) 20:43, 7 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

The best sources you get are not on the internet. The main cities of Australia started using lemonade around 15-20 years ago I believe. I guess someone decided it was better that way. However, if you go to a golf club in any of the rural parts of Australia I can assure you that 99% of them will serve you lemon lime and bitters with lemon squash. Search some forums and you will find plenty of arguments about this. Basically it is now two drinks with the same name. The page should probably reflect this.

As for sources. I would have to go find some old Australian cocktail books, this mostly pre-dates the internet. Dimand99 (talk) 03:56, 8 August 2011 (UTC)Reply

I'm still sceptical because I've heard people (in real life, and online) insist on lemonade and specifically say not squash but I've never heard the opposite. But I've received squash-based LLBs in a few pubs, so if you can find a forum debating it, we can remove the "erroneously" and include a line like, "There is some debate as to whether lemonade or lemon squash is most properly used. Both versions of the drink are served in pubs under the same name."
I don't think that rural pubs are necessarily more traditional in this respect. My cocktail course was only ~10 years ago but we were told explicitly "Don't use lemon squash!". If you can find a big thick cocktail book that says never to use lemonade, then we might be able to say that squash is more traditional (as much as it would hurt!). Nick (talk) 14:39, 8 August 2011 (UTC)Reply


I was under the impression that the bitters and ice were put in the glass first. The ice was then swirled around with the bitters until the bitters coated the inside of the glass. Then the ice and remaining bitters were poured out, new ice added and then the lemon and lime. Is this wrong? — Preceding unsigned comment added by PaddyPatPat (talkcontribs) 04:17, 26 May 2014 (UTC)Reply

Might need to explain what we mean by "Lemonade" edit

"Lemonade" has different meanings around the world. In Australia, UK, parts of Europe etc it's the clear fizzy stuff like Sprite that this article is referring to - In other parts of Europe it's fizzy "lemon squash", in North America lemonade is like flat, non carbonated lemon squash.

People reading this article from within different definitions of lemonade are going to get the wrong idea of what this drink is if we don't let them know what we mean by "lemonade".Mandurahmike (talk) 17:36, 18 March 2011 (UTC)Reply


Relevant hyperlinks to lift, solo etc should be enough. There is no international standard for soft drinks hence you can never have it correct for everyone. Dimand99 (talk) 05:11, 7 August 2011 (UTC)Reply


In the USA, "Lemonade" is universally understood to be a non-carbonated drink made with three essential ingredients: lemon juice (or artificial flavoring, as in "Country Time"), sugar and plain water. It is a refreshing beverage, with a strong, tart lemon flavor and pale yellow color, traditionally served over ice in the warmer months of summer.

As for sweet, carbonated drinks (soda pop) flavored with a blend of lemon and lime, there are three common brands - 7-up, Sprite and Sierra Mist. All three are virtually identical, with 7up perhaps being a bit more dry than the other two. But none of these drinks, or any of the many imitators, would ever be called "lemonade" - at least not in the USA.

For reference, the article mentions a product named "Rondo" that was sold in the 1970s-80s in the USA. I drank quite a few cans of it when I was young - it was a good soda, which might be described as being something like a semi-sour version of 7-up with much more citrus flavor and a crisp finish. If you've ever had Fresca, they are somewhat similar.

Finally, I've never heard the phrase "Lemon squash" used in the USA - it is generally unknown here, or at least the area where I live (Midwest).

71.195.46.185 (talk) 20:55, 13 January 2013 (UTC)Reply

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