Every Simply Lemonade Flavor Ranked From Worst To Best
Lemonade is a popular summer drink, and arguably, Simply Juice is one of the more powerful manufacturers and distributors of this citrusy beverage. According to Statista, the brand led lemonade sales in the U.S. by a significant amount, earning over 415 million dollars in sales. The brand's lemonade line, called Simply Lemonade, features four flavors — classic Lemonade, With Blueberry, With Strawberry, and With Rasberry (via Simply Beverages). The company is also releasing a new Simply Spiked Lemonade in Summer 2022, which is also highly anticipated. If all of that isn't a good reflection of their popularity, the drink can also be purchased at Wingstop, Five Guys, and Subway, according to Foodlocate.
MyRecipes also named Simply as the best lemonade overall in its taste test, partially due to the fact that the brand uses real lemon pulp and fruit puree for all its flavored drinks. But given the different flavor options, which of the four reigns supreme?
With Blueberry
With Blueberry isn't a bad option — it's just not everyone's favorite. While With Blueberry uses pureed blueberries, other homemade recipes have whole bits of the berries mixed into the drink, according to Damn Delicious. While pureed fruits are great to add that extra tint of color, actual blueberries may be perfect to throw into the beverage because they are so small and add freshness. However, purchasing a bottle of this beverage might not live up to that experience.
Furthermore, the flavor may be more tart than some of the other options listed due to the berry's natural tendency to be overproduced (via Citrus). This might make it a little less appealing to all audiences. However, for fans who gravitate towards less sugary drinks, With Blueberry can be a great option. One reviewer wrote on the retailer Mariano's, "It's slightly more tart than the strawberry flavor but not overly." It received an overall rating of 4.8 stars and lots of compliments, so this drink can still be some people's jam even though it came in last in the roundup.
With Strawberry
Next on the list is With Strawberry. Strawberry is a great secondary ingredient in classic lemonade, as it is a great source of Vitamin C and can provide a source of natural sugar (via Healthy Recipes 101).
But this can't really be said about Simply Strawberry, which contains 26 grams of sugar per an 8-ounce serving, according to the beverage's nutrition facts. This is over half of the recommended daily dietary intake of added sugar. Furthermore, if you're just looking for a pretty drink to sip on during the summer, you don't necessarily have to enjoy a strawberry lemonade if you don't prefer the taste — not all pink lemonade is necessarily strawberry lemonade. In fact, Smithsonian Magazine states that the origins of this highly-pigmented drink come from concentrated grape juice or extract.
But there are some psychological benefits to enjoying this pink drink: According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Westminster, London, pink-colored drinks are shown to boost performance (via Daily Mail). So maybe that is all the more reason to grab a bottle of With Strawberry this summer.
With Raspberry
Raspberry lemonade, in general, has seen a spike in increase, as shown by the influx of pictures of the beverage posted on Instagram. Perhaps it's due to the extra burst of berry flavor provided by the rosy-hued fruit or the natural aesthetic that comes with it.
With Raspberry has a lot of backing behind it as a flavor, with one reviewer on the Walmart website writing, "It is so refreshing and the addition of raspberry adds a little something extra." The special something that the reviewer is referring could be a flowery-like taste, as raspberries are related to the rose family of plants. It appears that this beverage is perfect to mix with alcohol, with some people experimenting and combining this drink with Malibu rum (via Recipe Diaries). Nutritionix also rates With Raspberry favorably for calories density compared to many other types of lemonade and it ranks just one place below Simply's classic Lemonade flavor.
Lemonade
Of course, in first place, is the classic Lemonade. The prototype for all of Simply's flavors, this variety has no extra fruit infusion added but is still refreshing and sweet enough for a hot summer day. According to Taste of Home, the beverage has a good balance of sweet and sour due to its use of cane sugar and fresh lemons. Because there are no secondary ingredients added, its neutral taste also makes it a crowd-pleaser.
The classic flavor is served up at a variety of different restaurants, because what goes better with a platter of spicy wings from Wingstop or a hearty burger from Five Guys than a cup of sweet, refreshing lemonade? Simply Lemonade never disappoints because like with the other options, it can be used as a mixer, frozen into icepops, or fashioned into another cocktail. It can also be used to make a whipped lemonade recipe or traditional Russian Tea recipe — the options are truly endless.