Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink that may be carbonated or un-carbonated; when carbonated, it is sometimes called a lemon soda. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world.

Historically and in many parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated beverage, traditionally homemade, using lemon juice, water, and a sweetener such as cane sugar, simple syrup, maple syrup or honey.[2] In other parts of the world, it is most commonly a reference to a carbonated lemon-flavoured soft drink or soda. Despite the differences between the drinks, each is known simply as "lemonade" in countries where it is dominant.

The suffix "-ade" may also be applied to other similar drinks made with different fruits, such as limeade, orangeade, or cherryade.

One of the first recipes for a lemon-based drink was documented in the 12th century Egyptian treatise On Lemon, Its Drinking and Use by the court physician Ibn Jumayʿ.[4][5][6] A drink made with lemons, dates, and honey was consumed in Mamluk Egypt, as well as a lemon juice drink with sugar known as qatarmizat in the 13th century.[4] An Egyptian recipe for lemonade has been used in England since 1663 and Samuel Pepys consumed it in the 1660s.[7] In 1676, a company known as "Compagnie de Limonadiers" sold lemonade in Paris.[8] Vendors carried tanks of lemonade on their backs and dispensed cups of the soft drink to Parisians.[9] A recipe for lemonade in John Nott's early 18th century Cooks and confectioners Dictionary included oil of sulphur.[10] Uncarbonated lemonade was a popular drink in the UK in the early 19th century, with Maria Rundell's A New System of Domestic Cookery (1807) including a recipe.

While a method for carbonated water was discovered by Joseph Priestley in 1767 (with his pamphlet Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air published in London in 1772),[12] the first reference found to carbonated lemonade was in 1833 when the drink was sold in British refreshment stalls.[13] R. White's lemonade has been sold in the UK since 1845.