Bitter lemon is a bitter

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

flavoured soft drink. Its signature taste is a result of inherently bitter lemon

pith Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which in some cases can store starch. In eudicotyledons, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocotyledons, it e ...

being reinforced by the bitter alkaloid

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

. The principal difference between

tonic water Tonic water (or Indian tonic water) is a carbonated soft drink in which quinine is dissolved. Originally used as a prophylactic against malaria, tonic water usually has a significantly lower quinine content and is consumed for its distinctive ...

and bitter lemon is the lemon juice, pith, and

peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel Island, Queensland *Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated communi ...

. The juice adds sour, offset by additional sweetener, and the oily peel fragrance. Bitter lemon is consumed both by itself and as a mixer, and is sold around the world. The generic bitter lemon drink dates back to 1834.

Schweppes Schweppes (, ) is a beverage brand that originated in the Republic of Geneva; it is made, bottled and distributed worldwide by multiple international conglomerates, depending on licensing and region, that manufacture and sell soft drinks. Schwep ...

introduced its brand of bitter lemon in 1957. In South Africa the beverage is branded as Dry Lemon.

Brands

Australia

• Schweppes

Britain

* Fever-Tree

Canada

Canada Dry Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks founded in 1904 and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper). For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its ginger ale, though the company also manufact ...

*The Great Jamaican

Cameroon

*Bubble Up

France

* Gini

Israel

*Schweppes

Kenya

*Krest

Netherlands

* Royal Club

Nigeria

*Teem *Limca

Somalia

* StrangeLove

United States

* Polar Beverages * Fever-Tree

References

Lemon sodas Quinine 1834 establishments Drink mixers {{soft-drink-stub