Lemon Soda

The little lemonade for your bicycle basket

The same recipe as the large swing-top bottle, just in a 0.33-liter size with a screw cap. This means it can be resealed and taken anywhere. The most practical form in which this French lemonade is available.

The Limonade Citron is the little sister of La Mortuacienne's lemon variety, bottled in the 0.33-liter "gastro" bottle. The contents are identical to those of the liter bottle—zesty and delicately tart with 8.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. The only difference is the closure, as it features a screw cap instead of a swing-top.

Zesty, clear, clean finish

A light straw yellow in the glass, with a citrus note that smells of peel rather than candy, and an acidity that wakes up the palate.

On the palate, this variety remains lean. The effervescence is subtle, and the finish is short and clean. With 34 kilocalories per hundred milliliters, an entire bottle contains about as much as a small apple.

Zesty, clear, lemony—that effectively describes the Limonade Citron.

Anyone familiar with the liter bottle will taste no difference. However, the smaller size has a practical advantage: it is finished before the carbonation fades.

For picnics, backpacks, and handbags

That is what this format was made for. A bottle weighs very little, the glass is sturdy, and the screw cap seals tightly.

Take it to the lake, the outdoor pool, or on a bike ride. Because it can be resealed, you don't have to drink it all in one go, which is difficult with a swing-top bottle once it is lying tipped over in a basket. It belongs at a picnic alongside a baguette, cheese, and a few radishes.

In summer, this is the variety that runs out the fastest. No wonder, as a lemonade with clear acidity quenches thirst better than any sweet version.

It also makes a great gift. Four or six small bottles in different varieties look better in a crate than one large one, and everyone can choose. It is best served chilled at 6 to 8 degrees, or with an ice cube in the glass if necessary.

Why the small format exists at all

The 0.33-liter bottle was not invented for retail shelves; it comes from the gastronomy sector. It is called a "gastro bottle" there, and the name explains its purpose.

In a bistro, lemonade is served by the portion, not by the liter. A large bottle left half-open behind the bar loses its fizz and can no longer be sold. The smaller volume solves this problem because it fills exactly one glass.

Historically, this is why the small format is older than its success in retail. Rième first supplied it to bistros and brasseries; only later did the bottles find their way into delicatessens and online shops.

The screw cap follows the same logic. It opens faster than a swing-top, which counts in service, and it can be closed again with one hand. For taking it on the go, it is the better solution anyway.

At Rième, the same recipe goes into both bottle sizes, produced according to the process established by Marcel in 1921. If you prefer the large bottle with the "pop," you can find it as Lemon Lemonade in the liter size. For a herbal touch, try the small Menthe Citron, or for a fruity one, the small orange lemonade. Everything else can be found under La Mortuacienne; a deposit is charged.