As my twitter name is Citrus Lord Lexie I feel like I am uniquely qualified to give a an overview of all of the lemon (and other citrus) flavored soft drinks that I have tried in Australia. I don't know what's wrong with the USA that these types of drinks aren't all over every store, but add that to the ever increasing pile of reasons I never want to move back.
For the uninitiated: lemon squash is kind of like a carbonated traditional american lemonade. Think squirt but lemon juice instead of grapefruit, or a limonata san pellegrino soda. Sprite and sprite-like lemon lime sodas are called lemonade here, which is confusing.
In no particular order, but at least sorted by category:
The Standard Squash
First off let's pour one out for our dearly departed, recently pulled from the aussie market by coca-cola in favor of sprite lemon plus (which I will cover further in this post): Lift. Actually I am not that sad to see it go, it never lived up to Solo for me and tasted watered down and not tart enough. 6/10.
Solo: This is my favourite of the big name brands. Punchy lemon, not overly sweet, perfectly refreshing. No notes. 10/10
I am quite taste sensitive to artificial sweeteners so I didn't initially like Solo No Sugar when I first tried it, but I recently tried it again. I don't know if my taste buds have just acclimated to it, or if it does actually taste different in a can, but yeah. It's pretty good! Little to none of the aftertaste that I can't stand from other no-sugar drinks, especially when it is ice cold. 7/10
Ok first of all, I am absolutely baffled that I can't find a better image of this anywhere on the internet? It's Coles home brand of lemon squash, or Lemon Flavoured Drink. The garbage quality photo reflects the garbage quality of the drink, at least. Not enough flavour, and not in a nice subtle sparkling water essence kind of way. Closer to "the ice in my drink has melted and the rest has gone flat" way. I imagine the sugar free version is even worse but I am not brave enough to try. 2/10
This is better than the Coles one by far but still vastly mediocre. I don't think this is worth the money savings of not buying solo instead. 5/10
I have a bone to pick with Kirks in that literally every product of theirs I've tried tastes like it has double the sugar of a comparable one, and this is still true for their lemon squash. Too sweet to be refreshing. 4/10
San Pellegrino sodas are not quite as widespread here as they are in the states and I imagine that's because of importing, higher prices or the lesser demand because there are so many perfectly serviceable alternatives. Still I think this is a useful comparison for those who aren't already familiar with the concept of lemon squash. This was a favourite when I lived in the states and it is still a favourite now. If I have the choice between this and aranciata rossa I will pick the latter, but every flavour in this line is delicious. 10/10
This is the best on the market as far as I'm concerned. The Bundaberg sodas are brewed/fermented rather than a syrup/carbonated water blend, which is one of the aspects that makes the flavour so rich and complex. A bit of a lighter carbonation than most of the others on the list, it is still perfectly balanced. Every single flavour in this line is a banger and I would probably drink this exclusively for the rest of my life if price and health were no object. 100/10
This is a relatively new find for me, and to be totally transparent I have not tried this specific lemon flavor because it is not available where I am now. However, there is a pink lemonade flavor that is so good I have a hard time believing this is no sugar. It isn't zero calorie, just low cal and I think that makes the difference. Anyway this rules and I'm excited to try more flavors. 9/10
Okay, this is obviously not a standard lemon squash, but it is still a citrus drink in the same style. Blood orange agrum (the citrus blend one is mediocre) is on par with solo for me, and a solid choice from the big brands in the supermarkets. It's much less tart than lemon, but still citrus and juicy and not overly sugary in spite of the lower sour levels. Very close to the aranciata rossa but cheaper and easier to find. 10/10
I'm mostly noting standard sprite here for comparison to the new sprite lemon plus flavours in the next category. Before moving to australia this was my go-to mass market soda along with squirt (which is actually a grapefruit squash, really). Now I can barely drink it, it's just straight up sugar water with not a lot of actual citrus flavor to me anymore. I still drink it however rarely when there isn't a better option, but if I never had it again I'd be just fine. 3/10
The Energy Drinks
As I mentioned earlier, this is the drink replacing Lift, and I tried it for the first time this week. I think it's a bit sharper than Lift was while maintaining the more mild flavor levels of that drink - the extra sharp and tartness improves it drastically. I don't think there are any other caffeinated lemon squashes on the market, either. And, as someone who hates cola, when I want a cold refreshing pick me up this is actually a pretty great option. 8/10
To my surprise, I like the sprite lemon plus zero sugar just as much as the solo zero sugar. I should note that neither of these are no calorie, just very low cal - I'll take the 15 calories a can or whatever as long as the artificial aftertaste is less apparent. Both are good options, and this sprite has caffeine when that's something I want. It's nice to have the choice. In terms of the taste compared to the standard version, I find the two quite comparable with this one maybe even a bit sharper and lighter due to the artificial sweetener, but in an appealing way, not a watered down one. 7/10
Another new release, V refresh citrus lemonade is another no sugar low cal option but in actual energy drink form - this is a banger in my opinion, but it is really sour and has a strong flavour which is not for everyone (like my partner, for example). I however am more than pleased with the intensity. I'm really impressed, this will be my new energy drink go-to. 9/10
I will be updating this post with my opinions on the make-your-own squash options (aka cordial with carbonated water / italian sodas) but there are quite a lot of them and I have already spent way too long thinking about fizzy lemon drinks for one day. I hope you have a chance to enjoy a nice refreshing lemon squash today.
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