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Green limes, or Tahiti limes, are not native to Brazil even though it is the most popular lime in the country. Probably a hybrid resulting from lemon and citron, the lime has spread to Brazil thanks to its use on British merchant ships as a remedy against scurvy. Due to its favorable climate and soil, many non native species adapted well in Brazil, specially in the forest. Green limes are predominant in South America, and limeades are a staple in every household.
The American lemonade is, by far, the most popular drink in the USA. However, it may have had its origin in medieval Egypt. The earliest written evidence of lemonade comes from Egypt. In Europe, vendors stood on street corners selling lemonade from tanks strapped to their backs. But in America, Hawkers in 1860s New York used dirty buckets to mix a cut-rate version of lemonade, made with molasses, and sold it to thirsty immigrants as they disembarked onto the docks of Manhattan.
Butterfly Pea flowers are native to Thailand and Malaysia, it can also be found in other parts of SE Asia. In Thailand, the flowers have been used for centuries for hair and scalp health in ancient types of shampoo, as well as tea due to its rich antioxidants properties. This tea magically changes color when mixed with citrus, making it truly magical for mixology lovers. Much like the tea, Asian mythology is just as magical. Due to a mistake in translation, the Chi Lin (a mythical animal that symbolizes wisdom, prosperity, good luck, and longevity) got translated as the unicorn in English. The Chi Lin is also called the Chinese unicorn. With the head of a dragon, one or two horns, deer or horse body, a tail of an ox, and the scales of a carp. Sometimes the body has fiery flames surrounding it.
The idea began innocently nearly two years ago, back when the duo were still living in Massachusetts. Sofia had come to her mother wanting to start a lemonade stand, so Mariana — recognizing that her daughter’s expectations for success would not be met in their quiet town — began to think of some creative alternatives. The result was bottling homemade lemonade she and Sofia made together at home to take to different events.
What started out as a fun experiment quickly grew into something more, as Mariana and Sofia found themselves invited to events at Lesley University and even the Brazilian Consulate in Boston.
“At the time I thought, maybe there is something here that I should be paying attention to,” she said.
That ‘something’ finally clicked once she and Sofia moved to Rhode Island and began to build their lives here in the Ocean State. Constantly, they were surrounded by different cultures — Haitian, Indian, Chinese — and Mariana began wondering what their friends and neighbors drank at home. She and Sofia added a Brazilian limeade and Chinese lemonade to their repertoire, adding facts about the ingredients or the country to every bottle. The idea for international lemonade was officially born.