22 December 2010

It's A Hanukkah Miracle!

People often say to me:  "David," they say, getting off to a good start, "you usually seem like such an upright, level-headed young American.  Why do you seem to so often visit England or Commonwealth Countries?"

It is, I think you'll agree, an excellent question and, like all excellent questions, it has a simple answer.  It is much easier to find Bitter Lemon wherever Queen Elizabeth is on the money.  America not being a bitter country, it has become almost impossible to find Bitter Lemon here.  In fact, it's become difficult to find people who understand what you're looking for when you ask for Bitter Lemon.

Imagine my joy, therefore, upon discovering that my supermarket now stocks the Fever Tree line of mixers, including Bitter Lemon:


As it happens, friend of the blog Brit is one of the world's foremost Fever Tree bloggers, has personally witnessed me breaking off from a long line of pints to order a Bitter Lemon, and yet somehow never mentioned Fever Tree Bitter Lemon, which, while not the ne plus ultra of Bitter Lemon (which would be Schweppes), is pretty good.

UPDATE:  Unfortunately, "now stocks" turns out to be unfounded optimism.  The Bitter Lemon is only on the shelf on about a third of my weekly visits, with the result that I immediately buy up all they have left.

5 comments:

Brit said...

I think Bitter Lemon must be a new line for Fever Tree, whose core business is tonic water (and very fine it is too).

But I've had it with Fever tree. I've plugged them on TofE and the Dabbler now, and not a sausage. Yet Mahlerman managed to wangle a load of freebies out of them.

Am still hopeful on the Bath Ales front...

Peter said...

OK, we're all pleased you Yankees have discovered bitter lemon, but do remember, it's supposed to be mixed with gin, not gulped down at breakfast with your cornflakes.

David said...

Boy, Brit, just when I think I'm done with stereotypes, you send me to that thread. 29 comments from the English on Gins and Tonics.

Harry Eagar said...

Wha' happened, then?

Schweppes Bitter Lemon was available in darkest Virginia in the '60s and '70s.

I haven't seen it in years, but there are lots of things that never make it to Hawaii.

David said...

Harry:

Schweppes Bitter Lemon disappeared from the shelf about 10 years ago, and now isn't even mentioned on the website.