Unlike Beyoncé, not many of us are actually making lemonade. Even more so than for orange juice, green smoothies, or strongly steeped iced tea, we rely on the grocery store for a fresh or frozen lemonade fix — despite the fact that the store-bought results are distinctly mixed. Still, there are plenty of organic, fresh-squeezed, or concentrated options to choose from. When Chowhound completed our ranking of the best and worst store-bought lemonade varieties, we had 12 widely available options to taste test.
Our favorite option, Trader Joe’s fresh-squeezed lemonade, features everything we like in a lemonade: a balanced flavor between tart and sweet, a fresh-squeezed taste, a touch of pulp, simple ingredients that don’t give us the ick, and a reasonable price. Our least favorite option, Turkey Hill’s lemonade, was the opposite in every way (except the cost). Made with sugar and high fructose corn syrup as well as fruit juices from concentrate, this lemonade tastes like sugary syrup flavored with lemon rather than freshly squeezed and slightly sweetened juice from a lemon. Unless you want your lemonade to taste like a lemon soda that’s gone flat, we’d recommend avoiding this product for your thirst-quenching needs.
Opportunities to use a super-sweet lemonade like Turkey Hill
Although lemonade purists who enjoy the tart taste on its own should avoid Turkey Hill’s lemonade, its price makes it a more appealing option for quenching a crowd’s thirst. At just $1.50 for a 1-gallon jug, this is one of the least expensive lemonades sold at grocery stores. Plus, it has a shockingly bright yellow color that could come in handy for themed party punches or dramatic cocktails.
To add more nuance to its sugar-syrup flavor, we’d recommend mixing Turkey Hill Lemonade with other tart juices like grapefruit or lime juice. For a fall twist, cranberries will give your lemonade a burst of tangy flavor (and a gorgeously pink color). With the addition of sparkling water or soda, you’ll have a tart-sweet punch ready to serve a crowd.
To cut the sweetness of Turkey Hill’s lemonade, you can also try adding fresh herbs like mint, basil, thyme, or rosemary. Lemongrass will also give the not-so-lemony lemonade an extra citrusy kick. Another option to cut the sweetness? Just add a pinch of salt. It may sound strange, but salt will diminish the harshest flavors of the overly sweet product — just go easy or you’ll risk oversalting it. If you feel like there’s no saving your too-sweet lemonade, try our last Hail Mary pass: pickle juice. A little briny, salty pickle juice goes a long way to moderate the sweetness of sugary lemonade, so if you’re already unhappy with your lemonade purchase, why not give it a try?