Wendy's New Lemonade Includes An Unexpected Fruit

People have experimented with lemonade for generations. One of the most iconic twists on the drink came after an unfortunately disgusting incident at the circus. According to Smithsonian Magazine, an entrepreneurial lemonade seller at a circus back in 1857 ran out of water on a particularly busy day. In order to meet the demand of thirsty customers, the worker grabbed a tub of dirty water that performers had been soaking their colorful tights in. The water, dyed pink, was used to make the next round of lemonade, and the worker marketed it as strawberry lemonade. This dirty beverage popularized pink lemonade, which has been associated with the circus ever since.

Folks have since found a million ways to put twists on the classic lemonade recipe without breaking health codes. A whipped lemonade recipe turns everyone's favorite citrusy beverage into a frosty treat, while chef Andrew Zimmern's perfect lemonade includes fresh basil and mint. Now Wendy's plans to join in on the lemonade-upgrade action with its latest take on the classic summertime beverage.

This Wendy's lemonade flavor includes cantaloupe

Wendy's plans to revamp its classic lemonade formula by spicing things up with an unexpected fruit: cantaloupe. According to Chew Boom, the fast food chain has launched a Sunburst Melon Lemonade, which draws on spring and summer flavors with additional hints of strawberry, kiwi, and watermelon. It's the latest addition to the chain's range of craft lemonades, which also include original, strawberry, and pineapple mango flavors.

Though cantaloupe isn't a common flavor in store-bought and restaurant lemonade offerings, people have found ways to pair cantaloupe and lemons together in the past. Real Simple found that if you mixed blended cantaloupe together with lemon juice and a syrup made with sugar, water, and pink peppercorns, for example, you could make a solid summer drink. As for the Wendy's Sunburst Melon version, a duo of food reviewers on YouTube called it "the bomb" and said it even has notes of green salad despite being very sweet.