In the end, people just want to feel they can unwind, and with a color that's so calming and youthful-pink lemonade is the perfect drink with which to do so. In my experience, traditional lemonade has no real color.вЂќ It seems flavor and nutrients have nothing to do with pink lemonade's consumer longevity. вЂњIt's that's not very saturated but relatively bright. вЂњThe color of pink lemonade is relaxing,вЂќ she says. If the taste of pink and traditional lemonade are exactly the same, why does the former remain so popular? When my inquiries to Minute Maid and Newman's Own went unanswered I reached out to Sally Augustin, a practicing environmental psychologist who focuses on the ways elements like shapes and colors influence our lives. Still, the bulk of global-brand pink lemonade is pink in color alone, a tint derived from concentrated grape juice or extract. Kellogg's Science in the Kitchen features a pink lemonade recipe calling for вЂњa half a cup of fresh or canned strawberry, red raspberry, currant or cranberry juiceвЂќ in lieu of cinnamon candies or dirty wash water and these days there are 'pink' lemonades made with watermelon, strawberry, raspberry or grenadine-a sweet, tart syrup traditionally derived from pomegranates. In the end, вЂњNo one really knows which story is accurate,вЂќ says Chetwynd, вЂњbut the timing of Conklin's tale gives that yarn the advantage.вЂќ Chetwynd points out that there's a legendary quality to both stories, a fact that's unsurprising, he says, given that вЂњit seems pretty clear pink lemonade was either created-or at least popularized-by the circus.вЂќДespite the drink's unsavory beginnings, consumers caught on quickly that lemonade could be both pink and nutritious. no first class circus was without pink lemonade.вЂќ вЂњFrom then on sales doubled,вЂќ writes Root, вЂњ. He marketed the drink as his new 'strawberry lemonade,' and a star was born. In true circus form, Conklin didn't miss a beat.

Conklin ran out of water and thinking on the fly, grabbed a tub of dirty water in which a performer had just finished wringing out her pink-colored tights. Root's main subject, George, claims his brother Pete Conklin came up with pink lemonade in 1857 while selling lemonade at the circus. Root's 1921 book, The Ways of the Circus: Being the Memories and Adventures of George Conklin Tamer of Lions. Adhering to the old circus adage 'the show must go on,' Allott simply sold the pink-hued beverage as is.ДЄ second, more stomach-churning theory comes Harvey W. Allott is believed to have 'invented' pink lemonade after accidentally dropping red-colored cinnamon candies in a vat of traditional lemonade. Allott, a Chicago native who ran away to the circus in his early teens. The first, he says, is a 1912 New York Times obituary for Henry E. The earliest known mention of pink lemonade comes from an 1879 article in West VirginiaвЂ™s Wheeling Register, explicitly linking the two.ДЄccording to Josh Chetwynd, author of the New York Times best-selling How the Hot Dog Got its Bun: Accidental Discoveries And Unexpected Inspirations That Shape What We Eat And Drink, there are multiple stories about the origin of pink lemonade, but there are two that he finds most plausible-largely because of their circus roots. It only makes sense that they'd want their drinks to be fantastical as well. People were coming from miles away to experience death-defying high-wire acts and see such oddities as human mermaids, contortionists and fire-breathers. Around the same time, traveling circuses were taking off. By the 19th century, a growing ice trade made chilled drinks increasingly popular, and as more people experienced the thrill of enjoying a sweet, cold beverage on a sweltering day, lemonade hit its stride. Instead, it turns out the likely origins of this popular beverage is a tale as unexpected as its own rosy and unnatural shade.ДЄlthough the history of traditional lemonade-a blend of lemon juice, water and sugar-in America dates back to the early arrival of European immigrants, with recipes appearing in the States as early as the 17th century, the genesis of pink lemonade is a bit more recent. Pink lemonade has been a part of American culture longer than backyard barbecues and above-ground swimming pools, but have you ever stopped to consider why the go-to lemonade has that pastel hue? While pink lemons do exist (they were first discovered on a typical Eureka lemon tree in 1930), their light pink flesh juices clear. It's sweet, colorful and synonymous with summertime.

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