McDonald's Just Added a Brand-New Drink to its Permanent Menu
Lemonade is summer in liquid form. No matter what time of the year I sip on a cold glass of the citrusy, fresh, tangy-meets-sweet drink, I am immediately transported to warmer days in the sun. Unfortunately, most fast-food restaurants rely on fountain soda-style lemonade, the easiest and cheapest to make. The sugar-water concoction sometimes tastes like cold medicine. This week, McDonald's made a game-changing lemonade announcement: They are adding a more homemade-style lemonade option to the permanent menu.
After testing in select local markets, the Big Arches announced a new premium lemonade on the menu this week. Starting this week, Lemonade is now a "permanent menu fixture" at restaurants nationwide.
"You know what they say – when life gives you lemons! Our Lemonade quickly became a fan-favorite in select local markets after being introduced in March 2023. Now, it's making its way to the national stage," the restaurant writes on its website. "Whether you're ready for a sip of Summer or looking for the perfect pairing to your go-to meal all year round, our Lemonade is sure to make a splash!"
According to Mickey D's, the new Lemonade features "real lemon juice, bits of lemon pulp and real cane sugar" and is "handcrafted by our beverage experts" resulting in "citrus-ly good flavors."
"Squeeze a little bit of summer in every sip with this refreshing, ice-cold classic," it writes in the product description, adding that there are 120 calories in a small Lemonade drink. It is also dispensed out of the orange juice machine, instead of mixed alongside soft drinks. For those who prefer the Minute Maid lemonade option, don't stress: It is still on the menu as a fountain drink.
According to workers who tested the product, it's seriously good. "Every McDonald's I've been to has already changed over to the new lemonade, it's way better than the minute made. I'm obsessed. Best drive through lemonade, hands down," one employee said last year. Others compared it to Chick-fil-A's lemonade, which is considered the gold standard of fast-food lemonade.
The new lemonade has only five ingredients: water, cane sugar, lemon juice from concentrate, lemon pulp, and natural flavors. Minute Maid ingredients include water and high fructose corn syrup, and additives like citric acid and glycerol ester of wood rosin.
Pro tip: If you like Arnold Palmer's, you can also ask for the half iced tea, half lemonade mix.
