Fentimans Victorian Lemonade

Made by: Fentimans Ltd

Origin: UK

Fentimans was originally founded in 1905, when Thomas Fentiman, a West Yorkshire steel worker, traded a loan for a ginger beer recipe, to be held as collateral. The loan was not repaid, and Fentiman commenced production of the ginger beer and started selling it door to door. The company closed between the mid 1960s until 1988, when Eldon Robson (great-grandson of TF) restarted production on the original site.

Fentimans lemonade is a pale lemon yellow colour, cloudy and containing a fine sediment. There is a green tint to the colour when examined in the light.

The nose is aromatic and distinctly herbal, with plenty of juicy lemon intensity, given an unusual green and lime-like quality.

Grassy, sappy lemons follow suit on the palate, with nettle and basil giving leafy flavours. Tangy now, with fizzing sherbet and mouthwatering flavour. Good intensity too...

This is an original take on lemonade, with green herbal notes providing an unusual twist.

Packaging claims: Botanically brewed, not more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, fermented botanical drink with herbal extracts

Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, lemon juice concentrate (12.7%), glucose syrup, ginger, pear juice concentrate, cream of tartar, natural flavours: lemon, speedwell, juniper extracts

Price: Should be about £1.00-£1.20 for a 275ml glass bottle, available from Waitrose, Booths, Health food stores, independent and specialist food stores nationwide

Fever-Tree Mixers Part 1

Made by: Fevertree Ltd

Origin: UK








We were thinking of making a few long drinks to combat the muggy weather, which had us hunting the shelves for a mixer or two... This brought us to Fevertree, a company that since 2000 sought to create an Indian Tonic mixer from all-natural ingredients, including quinine (the bark extract of the Cinchona tree, colloquially known as the 'Fever Tree').

They launched their Tonic Water in 2005, and have since managed to redefine the mixer category by eschewing the use of artificial ingredients (using only natural sweeteners and flavourings, and avoiding preservatives), taking instead a qualitative approach to drink formulation and packaging. They have since grown their product range, and success in new markets followed and continues apace...

Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water

Fever-Tree tonic water is a bright, clear liquid. It exhibits a lively carbonation, with noticeably small bubbles rising steadily when the drink settles in the glass.

An attractive, fresh, delicate aroma of lemon icing on the nose, with that familiar dusting of icing sugar...

On the palate, fresh lemon citrus, with some supple acids producing a gentle tang. There is excellent balance here between the elements, as a stimulating lemony bitterness develops and persists on the finish.

A quality mixer that speaks for itself, with a unique texture and flavour profile, that avoids the cloying, salty nature associated with artificial sweetener and preservative use.


Packaging claims: Contains natural quinine, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavours, natural quinine

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available


Fever-Tree Lemonade

Fever-Tree lemonade is a colourless, bright liquid. After the initial rush of carbonation, much smaller bubbles can be observed rising slowly through the liquid in the glass.

Fragrant, biscuity nose with sweet lemon. This is juicy, mouthwatering and with plenty of sun-warmed fruit.

A lemonade that is soft and round in the mouth, with warm, biscuity citrus flavours. Supple acids again producing a gentle tang on the short finish.


Packaging claims: Contains Sicilian lemons, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, lemon juice 2.5%, citric acid, natural flavours

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available


Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

Fever-Tree ginger beer is a cloudy, pale yellow colour that takes on a green hue when examined in the light. There is a fine sediment of ginger particles in suspension.

Instantly aromatic on the nose, with fresh ginger in abundance, and then some. There is an extraordinary scent here, earthy and distinctly spicy- cumin? Intoxicating stuff...

Be sure you're sitting down for this one! An intense rush on the palate, with a controlled explosion of deep, freshly grated ginger flavour, topped with lemon and black pepper seasoning. This is as peppery and fiery as you could want, with that entrancing and utterly unique spicy, earthy cumin note intact and almost musky now. Predictably long finish as the chilli and fire trail off, this remains clean and refreshing throughout.

A heady, entrancing experience; a one of a kind ginger beer that sets a stylish example.


Packaging claims: Contains natural gingers, contains natural sediment, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, ginger extract, cane sugar, natural flavour, ascorbic acid

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Organic Sparkling Lemonade

Made by: Whole Earth Foods

Origin: UK








The second drink in the Whole Earth series is a sparkling lemonade. This is a pale, bright lemon yellow colour. It is slightly cloudy (translucent) and gently carbonated, with the bubbles rising steadily when the drink is poured out.

The nose carries the sweet aroma of fresh, ripe lemons: juicy and direct. There is also a more concentrated note of lemon oil, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Flavours on the palate are light by comparison (read well diluted), with a touch of sugar and lime adding to the lemons to create a sherbetty appeal. The overall impression is understated and pleasant, easy drinking and well balanced, without the citrus tang found elsewhere. Short finish.

Packaging claims: Soil Association Organic, no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours, suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans, Vegetarian Society Approved, produced to strict organic standards, as this drink is made from natural ingredients it may contains a slight sediment

Ingredients: Sparkling water, organic apple juice from concentrate (15%), organic agave syrup, organic lemon juice from concentrate (4%), natural lemon flavouring

Price: Should be about £0.80 for a 330ml can, from branches of Asda, health and wholefood stores and specialist cafes

Vitamin Water Multi-V Lemonade (b-zinc)

Made by: Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd

Origin: UK







This still lemonade drink is a translucent off-white colour, fading to a watery rim around the very edge of the glass. It's appearance is similar to water with an aspirin in solution.

The nose is peculiar, with a lactic aroma at first, like a Calpis (cultured milk) drink. There are more unusual aromas to follow: crushed biscuits, damp walls, papier mache...original! Everything here is subtle and swimming in a well-diluted environment.

The flavours follow suit on the palate, where a faint chalkiness compliments the taste of dilute lemon barley. A flavour of cookie dough emerges with a light citrus tang attached (that Calpis drink again), before everything vanishes in a short finish.

Packaging claims: Still lemon flavour spring water drink with vitamins and minerals

Ingredients: Spring water, fructose, sugar, citric acid, mineral salts (calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, zinc gluconate), flavourings, vitamins (C, niacin, E, pantothenic acid, B6, folic acid, B12), stabilisers (acacia gum, glycerol esters of wood rosins)

Price: Should be about £1.30-£1.50 for a 500ml PET bottle, widely available

Camilca

Made by: Ulker

Origin: Turkey

Imported into the UK: Sweetworld Ltd





Camilca is a sparkling Turkish lemonade. It is a colourless, clear and bright liquid. When poured out, steady streams of fine bubbles appear from various points in the glass (reminds me of a good sparkling wine).

One the nose the juicy scent of 'super ripe' lemons is mouthwatering. A sweet, clean smell that's lightly dusted with a combination of powdered sugar and crushed Disprin tablet.

On the palate Camilca is one of the lightest drinks we have come across at the Drink Station. A flavour of lemon panna cotta is followed by a warmer, sweeter note (think of vanilla custard). There is a curious tonic-like sensation at the end, possibly quinine, that had me searching through the recipe books.

The short finish arrives all too quickly nonetheless, however in spite of this Camilca manages to be a remarkably clean and refreshing drink.

Packaging claims: Lemon aromated soft drink

Ingredients: Water, saccharose, glucose syrup, citric acid (E330), acidity regulator (E331), nature identical flavours (lemon), preservative (E202)

Price: Should be about £0.70 for a 250ml glass bottle, from specialist retailers

Marks & Spencer Cloudy Lemonade

Made by: Marks & Spencer plc

Origin: UK

The final new release in the M&S trio is this Cloudy Lemonade. With a very pale yellow colour, cloudy yet translucent and gently carbonated, it fades to a clear rim at the very edge of the glass.

It has a light, bright lemony nose (reminds me of lemon curd), with a 'freshly squeezed' yet powdery character (think of bitter lemon).

The initial impression on the palate is again light (read well-diluted) and sweet at first, before the 'bitter lemon' flavour takes hold. This increases its grip, with excellent balance now between the elements, before collapsing in a short finish and leaving a mild trace of bitterness in its wake.

Packaging claims: No artificial colours, no artificial flavourings, Vegetarian, traditional since 1934, a traditional recipe

Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, lemon juice from concentrate (8%), lemon fruit from concentrate (4%), natural flavouring

Price: £0.63 for a 330ml can, from Marks & Spencer and Marks and Spencer Simply Food outlets