I keep reading around here references to “lemonade”; in the United States, lemonade is just diluted, sweetened lemon juice, but apparently it’s some sort of soda or something over in England. What exactly is it?
I’m not one of Her Majesty’s subjects, but I have had lemonade in London. It’s like fake lemonade, only carbonated. And maybe a little less sweet, but maybe that’s a masking effect from the carbonation.
–Cliffy
It’s a clear, carbonated liquid that tastes absolutely nothing like lemons. Probably the most famous brand is R Whites, although my particular favourite is Lowcock’s of Middlesbrough.
In Ireland, some lemonade is red which fools the hell out of English people who think it is Tizer.
Sometimes, you see so-called “traditional” lemonade, which is actually yellow and cloudy and looks as if it may have been made of real lemons (but most likely wasn’t).
Lemonade in the UK usually means a carbonated lemon and line drink that tastes similar to 7up or sprite. So its not a real heavy lemon taste, and is a common mixer in alcoholic drinks.
My mum asked for a martini and lemonade in the US once, the barman found it completely unfathomable.
American here. Just want to note that:
1.) Coca Cola objected strenuously (and apparently for a long time) with the French government at being pigeonholed as a “limonade”. Coke said it definitely was not a “lemonade”, and I think they got the categorization changed. Maybe traces of this remain in Britain.
2.) At the (New) Jersey shore “Lemonade” is made fresh in your cup – a slice of lemon, a scoop of sugar already sit in the cup. When you buy it, they add water and shake it up with a cocktail shaker. Three simple ingredients, and no “high fructose corn syrup” or preservatives or coloring added. And no carbonation.
Not too long ago, I mentioned to my mother-in-law (a South African) that I was dying for a big, cold glass of lemonade. She was so proud of herself when she showed up the next day with a bottle of… well, whatever it is that South Africans (and apparently Brits) consider to be lemonade. I couldn’t bear to disappoint her, and it actually was pretty good.
Still dying for some real lemonade though.
A classic English drink is Pimm’s with lemonade. Another (non-alcoholic) favourite is orange and lemonade. At home we mix it 50/50 with cheap red wine for a sort of minimalist sangria.
Lemon Fanta is similar but perhaps a bit more lemony.
A related question, is “orange squash” anything like the drink Orangina?
In London I tried a shandy, which is about half ale and half lemonade (the English).
And they make fun of us for drinking cold fizzy beer.
We make even more fun of those who drink shandies.
No lemonade thread would be complete without a link to Hot Dog On A Stick, the **Snakes On A Plane ** of fast food franchises.
Just four menu items. One of which is the name of the restaurant. And fresh-squeezed lemonade … .
Orange squash is a concentrated orange-flavoured liquid. You dilute with water in the proportion of about 1 part squash and 4 or 5 parts water. It is non fizzy and should contain at least some real orange juice in its ingredients.
Leave us southern ponces alone for a moment, can’t you?
'Fraid not. Bah. Bloody southerners… 
One of the cross beams has gone out askew on the treadle…grrr, bloody northerners…
The US name for what the British (and the Australians) call lemonade is:
lemon-lime soda
However, in practice, when you go into a bar or restaurant, you don’t ask for a “lemon-lime soda” – instead, you ask for a brand name, like 7UP. It’s actually quite strange, that there is a product that is widely available, but people hardly ever use the generic name for it in the US.
It’s not that strange – the various lemon-lime sodas don’t taste the same.
–Cliffy
except without the lime bit.
I suspect that’s debatable, and that both lemon soda and lemon-lime soda are called lemonade in different countries. 7UP and Sprite are lemon-lime sodas, and (at least in Australia) they would be called by the generic name “lemonade”.
To illustrate how complex the issue is, there is the Wikipedia’s article on lemonade.
Well the OP was directed at brits and here lemonade is just lemonade and is not the same as 7-up which we call 7-up - except perhaps in Glasgow where, at least way-back-when, all soda was called ‘ginger’ 
(confused my American mother enormously when she moved there in the late 50’s)