You might be thinking to yourself, reviewing the best lemonades around, that must be a pretty sour undertaking. In reality it was quite sweet, and so were the lemonades. Unfortunately that made the decision not so easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. However, to be an objective outside reviewer one has to set their biases aside and think, ‘What makes lemonade good lemonade?’ 

Well, there are four primary categories that should influence your decision: pulpiness, sourness, presentation, and bang for your buck. Now obviously every company excels in their own way, some lemonades were more sour, others could practically choke you with how much pulp there was. But, one lemonade stood out against the pack. When the rooster finally crows, you might be surprised by what you learn. 

There were seven competitors duking it out for my taste buds’ delight: Mod’s Pizza, Chick-Fil-A, Pretzel Stop, Wendy, Raising Cane’s, Saint Louis Bread Company and Starbucks. All were pretty good, but some met the standards of fresh lemonade better than others.

Pulp is probably one of the better indicators that the lemonade you’re drinking is truly freshly made. Only three of the lemonades sampled even contained pulp: Raising Canes, Bread Company, and Chick-Fil-A. The only issue is that pulp is that one uncle that everyone talks about behind his back. Shows up in every good family gathering, but never someone you actually want to see. Therefore, those three were docked for having such inexcusable texture with such a good flavor. 

In terms of sour, everyone has a different preference. But the goal is that it at least has that authentic lemon flavor. It should be a nice smooth sweet and sour sauce, not a tart lemon pie. In this category three companies stood out: Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks and Pretzel Stop. All three were sour, but not so much that it makes someone pucker. However, Mod’s didn’t just form a pucker, it could send a shock down your spine with how tart it was. Nevertheless, it had an exquisite taste. 

While indirect, the presentation keeps people coming back for more. The texture of the cup, easability of drinking, color, it all plays a role in how your taste buds taste before the drink even touches your tongue. Every single cup was clear and plastic besides Pretzel Stop and Chick-Fil-A. The clear cup draws your eyes in more, makes you want to taste what’s hidden beneath that thin lip. Most of the drinks benefitted from this effect, but not those two. 

Lastly, once you’ve gagged down a strong sip of pulp, shaken your head side to side from the sourness and despaired over the sight of the cup in your hand it comes to the most important qualification, the bang for your buck. How much did your bank account cry out as its digits dropped. In this case, all of the lemonades tied. Though the best size for the price was likely Chick-Fil-A as long as the no ice requirement is met. 

Now, obviously it’s wonderful to discuss the various benefits and drawbacks to various lemonades, but they have to lead somewhere. Hand crafted every morning, pulpy, sour, and a great deal, Chick-Fil-A creeps out over the competition. It takes the rest of the lemonades and bumps it up a notch. In a squeeze, you’ll never have a sour feeling with a Chick-Fil-A lemonade replacing your water.