Pink Lemonade
Circus tent classic
Classic lemonade tinted pink with grenadine. Origin stories vary — the leading one involves a circus concessions stand and a rinse-water accident in the 1850s. The drink itself survived the legend.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
- 4 oz Water
- 1/4 oz Grenadine
Method
In a collins glass with ice, combine lemon juice and simple syrup. Top with cold water and stir. Add grenadine, stir once more. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Pink lemonade's invention is disputed among circus vendors in the mid-19th century, with two competing origin accounts: Henry E. Allott (cinnamon candies) and Pete Conklin (dirty laundry water from pink tights, documented by his brother George Conklin in 1921's *The Ways Of The Circus*). E.E. Kellogg's *Science in the Kitchen* (published 1892 or 1893; sources vary) includes an early strawberry-based pink lemonade recipe. Per 12tomatoes.com and multiple secondary sources; not verified against Difford's Guide #1549, which resolves to a different (modern) drink.