Bad news for entrepreneurial kiddies: your lemonade stand is doomed, the Lemon King has hit town.
The Lemon King doesn’t just make Lemonade. From his mobile headquarters, the king custom makes all sorts of citrusy beverages, including limeades, virgin mojitos and Arnold Palmers. It’s all fresh squeezed, while customers queue up to watch the magic.
The house classic Lemonade ($3) comes in a big cup along with ice cubes, lemon wedges and a fat straw. It boasts the crisp, tart bite of fresh lemon, and it’s teamed with the traditional sweetness that makes the icy cold beverage addictive.
Last weekend’s special was Orange Lemonade ($3). It’s a hybrid blend of lemonade with orange juice (also house-squeezed). Lemon and orange are a natural citrus pair, and they merge seamlessly in the big cup. The beverage is cool and has a refreshing accent that hits in an over-the-top way.
The Lemon King also has a whole lot of style. The counter of his mobile outlet is lined with Willie Wonka-esque machines designed for the making of lemonade. The preparation of any order starts with a whole lemon and a slicer that quarters it in one fell swoop. Then the fruit goes into some sort of hydraulic, pressurized, glass-walled squeezer that drives out a fountain of juice. He pumps in a few other ingredients, then pops the beverage into an earth-quaking shaker that rattles as it mixes everything up. The final masterpiece is sublime (sub lemon).
It’s habit-forming. The bad news for addicts is that the charismatic Lemon King runs a mobile operation. While his long run goals include gigs at farmers markets, he’s been stationed in front of the Beechwold Hardware store (Corner of Sheffield and High) for the past few weekends, he says he plans to continue weekend appearances at the spot, as long as customers continue to visit.