Lemon lime and bitters, Australia’s national drink ? Well according to the ABC in 2018, it is indeed the case.
It is indeed a pleasant drink. Something I had not expected when I first tried it.
There are some good arguments for the national drink tag. One particular argument for it is that many Australian knows what the drink is. In that sense it does qualify. Interestingly it is not the case outside of Australia where hardly anyone knows of it. .
I actually had not heard of this drink until I moved to Australia with the family years ago. Even on our previous trips to Australia prior to relocating I did not come across it. Mainly because unlike the usual soft drinks and beverages you would not find it in retails stores and supermarkets.
But its a different story when it comes to pubs and drinking outlets.
It’s reach
I am given to understand that every single bar, pub and drinking establishment in Australia serves it. Even those out in the sticks serves them with no exception. And that has been the case when it was asked in my presence or when I asked for it in a pub in Australia.
Ironically it was the opposite in other countries. Including the US, UK , Europe and Asia as I travelled for work. It was either a straight no, a possible alternative or pink gin in the UK. Well the colour worked for the last one but it was no replacement. Occasionally there was an offer to make one if I could tell what the cocktail called for.
I finally gave up asking for it outside Australia despite articles saying that it was popular in some countries. Not that I was keen on just this cocktail but more to see how popular it was outside Australia. I am told that Trinidad is the other place where it is well known. And there is a rather strong reason for it.
What is Lemon lime and bitters
Firstly it has low alcoholic content of about 0.2% so it is indeed an alcohol. But the vast majority of Australians consider it as non-alcoholic and a soft drink. That includes teetotallers and those back on the wagon. Some drinking and food establishments do not serve it to the underaged to avoid the thin edge of legal trouble. Anyway the young prefer far more fizzy drinks.
Its is treated more as a cocktail than a soft drink. So it not a something that a family stocks up at home or even served to house guest. Unless it is a party.
Secondly it’s composition. It is made up of 1/3rd lime cordial, 2/3rd lemonade and 4 to 5 dashes of Angostura bitters. There are variation in the lemon and lime makeup. But unlike Gin and Tonic where every pub and connoisseur have a version of their own, Lemon lime and bitters has its ingredients intact. Gin by the way on its own is tasteless hence the variations are understandable.
Note there is a difference between juice and cordial. The later is concentrated sweetened juice. It is the Angostura bitters. that has the alcohol. And it is the bitters that makes all the difference.
It is served straight or with ice in a tall glass and sometimes with a slice of lemon.
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters is extensively used in other cocktails such as the Manhattan and the classic Martini. For Lemon lime and bitters it is a key ingredient despite the amount used as it dramatically changes the taste.
Angostura was concocted as herbal remedy or tonic in Venezuela circa 1824 with roots of the flowering plant Gentiana and other herbs and spices. However the bottle does not mention the flowering plant. The formula remains a guarded secret.
From Venezuela, production moved to Port of Spain, Trinidad where it remains. And hence the reason the drink is known there. .
You can spot the bottle of Angostura Bitters readily when the bartender is mixing a cocktail as the label is oversized. An original mistake that has become a trademark.
By the way Angostura bitters contains 44% alcohol similar to whiskey and other spirits. As it mixed in spurts called dashes, it hardly has an alcoholic effect.
Cocktail and not a soft drink.
I suspect the single biggest reason teetotallers prefer this when in the company of those drinking alcohol is that it taste. It does have the alcohol taste. And you intuitively treat and drink it like alcohol.
Unlike most soft drinks, fizzy drinks and sodas which are generally considered as thirst quenchers, this drink is not considered a thirst quencher. You can sit in a bar and nurse it like alcohol, similar to spirits and strong cocktails.
If I was the designated driver my natural tendency is go for Lemon, lime and bitters not because it is popular but because I can fit into the atmosphere with this drink. Personally I can’t think of any other alternative. Certainly not with Coke or an Orange juice.
The commercial aspect
An interesting development is that Lemon lime and bitters as a drink began to follow the path of Shandy, a well known and popular drink mix of previous generations. Alcohol wise Shandy is half strength beer with other half lemonade. Shandy was available commercially pre-mixed in bottles and cans. That era has since passed. Lemon lime and bitters is flowing that path.
Lemon lime and bitters not only comes pre mixed in bottles and cans. It also comes as a cordial concentrate. There is also the 4 pack 300 ml bottles version.
The most famous and popular cordial is Bickfords’s. Bundberg which is known for its iconic ginger beer in 375ml bottles now carries Lemon lime and bitters in the same size as its ginger beer.
Other popular national drinks
A particular beer brand is out as a National drink as each Australian state has it choice of beer. And the feeling is parochial, an understatement to make the point.Fosters for WA, VB for Victoria and XXXX for Queensland and so on. You will never get a national consensus where beer is concerned. Its a lost cause.
Where the beer family fails, wine is turning out to be a good prospect and is at the fore for consideration. Penfolds wines is popular across Australia as well there is huge brand recognition internationally. It also has strong heritage and a major export.
Next comes Bundberg Ginger Beer a contender for a well known brand locally and internationally.
My guess is that lemon line and bitters is not brand driven or commercially owned recipe. A drink larrikin I suppose. So like all free spirited Australians, Lemon lime and bitters is a strong contender for the national drink tag for years to come.