Bitter lemon

For the autobiography by Lawrence Durrell, see Bitter Lemons. For the publisher, see Bitter Lemon Press.

Schweppes Bitter Lemon. Vintage bottle shown.

Bitter lemon is a bitter lemon flavoured soft drink. Its signature taste is a result of inherently bitter lemon pith being reinforced by the bitter alkaloid quinine.

The principal difference between tonic water and bitter lemon is the lemon juice, pith, and peel. The juice adds sour, offset by additional sweetener, and the oily peel fragrance.

The generic bitter lemon drink dates back to 1834.^[1] Schweppes introduced its brand of bitter lemon in 1957.^[2]

Bitter lemon is consumed both by itself and as a mixer, and is sold around the world.^[3]

Notable brands

Schweppes cans

• Schweppes
• Fever-Tree
• Canada Dry
• Gini
• Royal Club
• Polar Beverages

See also

• List of lemon dishes and beverages

References

1. "Original Bitter Lemon". Schweppes.de. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
2. "History of our Brands - Beverages". Cadbury. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
3. "New Schweppes Bitter Lemon - top-selling mixer from England to Australia - makes its debut in Montreal". The Montreal Gazette. 17 June 1963. Retrieved 19 September 2011.