When Life Gives You Lemons

Lemonade is one of the most reliable summer drinks menu additions for cafés, coffee shops, and hospitality venues. It appeals to customers who do not drink coffee, works for all ages, and requires no specialist equipment to prepare. Using a flavoured lemonade syrup rather than making it from scratch keeps preparation time under a minute and keeps costs predictable. Here is everything you need to know about adding lemonade to your drinks menu using the Simply Lemonade Cooler syrups.

The Two Lemonade Flavours

Simply currently offers two lemonade-based cooler syrups, each with a distinct flavour profile suited to different customer preferences:

• Simply Pink Lemonade Cooler Syrup — sweet, fruity, and vibrant in colour. The pink lemonade format is widely recognised and appeals across a broad age range. It photographs well, which makes it a strong choice for venues where customers share drinks on social media.
• Simply Elderflower Lemonade Cooler Syrup — floral, sharp, and slightly more sophisticated. Elderflower lemonade suits venues with a more premium or garden-style atmosphere — restaurants, delis, and cafés with outdoor seating tend to find it particularly popular.

Both are available at £8.75 per 1 litre bottle and produce approximately 33 servings per bottle.

How to Make a Simply Lemonade

The preparation is straightforward and takes under a minute from start to finish.

Still lemonade (classic):

1. Fill a tall cup or glass generously with ice
2. Add 30ml of Simply Lemonade Cooler syrup (approximately 4 pumps using a pump dispenser)
3. Top with 270ml of cold still water — a ratio of 1 part syrup to 9 parts water
4. Stir to combine and serve immediately with a lid and straw

Sparkling lemonade:

Follow the same method but replace still water with sparkling water. The carbonation adds a more traditional lemonade character that many customers prefer. Pour the sparkling water gently over the ice to preserve the fizz.

Lemonade with a twist:

Add a pump of a complementary flavoured syrup alongside the lemonade syrup for a more complex drink. Raspberry, strawberry, or mint syrup all work well with pink lemonade. A pump of elderflower syrup with the elderflower lemonade intensifies the floral character for a premium version.

The Profit Margins

The margins on syrup-based lemonade are strong. At £8.75 per litre and approximately 33 servings per bottle, the syrup cost per drink works out at around 27p. Add the cost of ice, water, and a disposable cup, lid, and straw and the total cost per serving is typically well under 50p. Selling at £2.50–£3.50 for a 20oz drink gives a healthy margin on every cup.

Lemonade as Part of a Summer Drinks Menu

Lemonade works best as part of a broader cold drinks offer rather than a standalone addition. Pairing it with one or two other cold drink options gives customers a genuine choice and increases the likelihood of an order. Simply Iced Tea and Cooler Syrups — available in peach, passion fruit & lemon, dragon fruit & mango, tropical, and watermelon green tea flavours — complement lemonade well and share the same preparation method.

If you are building a summer cold drinks menu, a practical starting point is two iced teas and one or two lemonade options. That gives customers four or five cold drink choices with a total outlay of under £45 in syrup — enough for over 130 individual servings across the range.

Practical Tips for Serving Lemonade in a Café

• Use a pump dispenser — fitting a portion pump to each bottle gives consistent dosing and speeds up service. Without a pump, measuring 30ml manually every time adds unnecessary steps during a busy period.
• Keep it visible on the menu — customers will not ask for lemonade if they do not know you serve it. A small chalkboard sign or a line on your printed menu is enough to prompt orders.
• Offer a personalisation option — letting customers choose still or sparkling, or add a syrup flavour, gives the drink a bespoke quality that justifies a slightly higher price point.
• Stock the right cups — lemonade and cooler drinks look better and sell better in a tall cup or glass that shows off the colour and ice. Our disposables range includes cup sizes from 12oz to 20oz suitable for cold drinks service.

Browse the full Simply Iced Tea and Cooler Syrups range including both lemonade options, or explore our wider syrups range for everyday and seasonal flavouring. Contact us if you need advice on quantities or want to discuss trade pricing.