Magnolia Vanilla Lemonade

I was rather surprised when I found this in the store while shopping for groceries a few days ago. I'm not entirely sure why surprise was my immediate reaction, but I suppose that combining vanilla and lemon had simply never occurred to me before. In fact, the longer I think about it, the more I realize how few beverages (or foods, for that matter) that I have had that actually combine the two. I'm sure that I've had some drinks that contain both lemon and vanilla, but never as the lone, primary ingredients. 

That being said, I wasn't really sure what to anticipate from Magnolia's somewhat peculiar concept. But what I can be sure of is how well the flavors ended up working together. I often find that the amount of vanilla or vanilla flavoring used in vanilla-centric beverages often tends to make a lot of them taste unnecessarily sweet, but Magnolia has struck an almost perfect concentration. The taste of the vanilla is present, but light, and acts to cut some of the acidity of the all-natural lemonade. The lemonade itself is very good, but it definitely has that natural lemon tartness that can start to feel sort of caustic in larger quantities. Although I really liked this drink, I had to drink it in several small servings. I absolutely love natural juices, and there are very few flavors that I enjoy more than fresh citrus, but I really just couldn't handle much more than five ounces of Magnolia's Vanilla Lemonade at a time before my mouth started to feel dry and I had to cap the rest for later. And that's not to say that this is necessarily a bad thing; I just thought that it was worth mentioning.

Overall, I thought that this was a surprisingly good drink. The lemonade, although fairly tart, is quite tasty, and I really liked the addition of the vanilla. Magnolia's Vanilla Lemonade is a simple, yet unique twist on the traditional lemonade approah, and if you like either of the two flavors, this is definitely one to check out.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Bi-Lo [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 16 fl oz [473mL]

Price: $1.79