From Cairo market stalls to the White House verandas of βLemonade Lucy,β lemonade has quietly followed golfers for generations. A new wave of lowβcalorie, nonβalcoholic formulations, led by brands like LoLo Lemonade, is now reshaping what the 19th hole looks like.
Lemonade has always been golfβs quiet companion. Long before the beer cart became a fixture on the fairway, and long before sports drinks took over the turn, pitchers of freshly squeezed lemonade sat on clubhouse verandas as the goβto refresher for players walking off the ninth green. Somewhere between the rise of light lager and the invention of the energy drink, the humble citrus classic lost a little ground on the course. In 2026, it is finally finding its way back to the tee box and this time, it is bringing a thoroughly modern twist.
A Drink Older Than the Game Itself
The story of lemonade predates the Royal and Ancient rulebook by several centuries. Recipes for sweetened lemon water appear in 10thβcentury Egyptian manuscripts, where a drink called βqatarmizatβ was sold in the markets of Cairo. By the 1600s, Parisian vendors known as limonadiers wandered the city dispensing lemonade from copper tanks strapped to their backs, and by the Victorian era, it had become the default soft drink of polite society on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the United States, lemonade earned a particularly memorable chapter during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes in the 1870s. First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes, a devout temperance advocate, refused to serve alcohol at White House state functions, pouring lemonade for visiting dignitaries instead. The Washington press corps nicknamed her βLemonade Lucyβ, originally a tongueβinβcheek jab, but one that has aged into something of a compliment. A century and a half later, her refusal to follow the prevailing drinking culture looks less eccentric and more prescient.
The Modern Golfer Is Drinking Differently
The reason Lemonade Lucy feels contemporary again is that golfers are rewriting the drinks menu. Participation in the U.S. game has climbed steadily since 2020, with the National Golf Foundation reporting record onβcourse and offβcourse numbers, driven in part by a younger demographic that brings different habits to the 19th hole. Surveys from industry trackers including IWSR and NielsenIQ have consistently shown doubleβdigit annual growth in nonβalcoholic beverages, with betterβforβyou and lowβcalorie formulations leading the category.
On the course, that has translated into a wider range in the cooler: sparkling waters, electrolyte drinks, readyβtoβdrink teas, and nonβalcoholic lagers now sit alongside the old standbys. Lemonade, perhaps the most natural fit for a hot afternoon walk, has reβemerged as one of the most versatile canvases for this new wave of formulation, low in calories, recognizable in flavor, and flexible enough to carry everything from electrolytes to adaptogens.
Enter LoLo Lemonade
One of the newest brands leaning into that shift is LoLo Lemonade, launched in February 2026 and available at lololemonade.com. LoLo is a nonβalcoholic, hempβderived Deltaβ9 THC lemonade made with real lemon juice and pure cane sugar. Each 12 oz can delivers 80 calories per serving and is sold in two carefully measured strengths: a light 5 mg option and a slightly more relaxed 10 mg. Derived from hemp and formulated within the delta-9 THC concentration limits of the 2018 Farm Bill, LoLo is for adults aged 21 and over, available in select U.S. states where hemp-derived THC beverages are permitted by law, and third-party laboratory tested for potency and purity.
LoLoβs Instagram feed leans into the historical wink: its βLemonade Lucyβ post series pays tribute to the original teetotaler while positioning the brand as the next chapter in a long tradition of people choosing lemonade over liquor. The tagline: βitβs high time for lemonadeβ doubles as a cultural cue and a category pun, but the underlying message is straightforward: there is room for a calmer, lighter, adultβminded alternative in the clubhouse cooler.
What It Means for the Round
For the modern golfer, the appeal is less about novelty and more about fit. At 80 calories per serving with no alcohol, LoLo sits comfortably alongside the lowβABV lagers and zeroβproof options that increasingly populate resort bars and country club patios. Real lemon juice and cane sugar give it a recognizable, uncomplicated flavor profile; closer to the pitcher on the veranda than to an energy drink.
Because LoLo contains psychoactive Deltaβ9 THC, it is not a beverage for use during play, so LoLo is best thought of as a 19thβhole and postβround drink: a patio sip after signing the scorecard, a companion on a quiet summer evening at the range, or an alternative to the traditional beer at a relaxed weekend social round. The brandβs own guidance is clear; start low, go slow, keep it out of the hands of anyone under 21, and never drive after consuming.
A New Chapter on the Patio
What makes this moment interesting is how well LoLoβs positioning matches the broader arc of the game. Golf is changing, trending more social, willing to rethink its rituals. Country clubs are building out zeroβproof menus. Resort pro shops are stocking electrolyte waters alongside premium spirits. Tournament hospitality, for the first time at scale, is offering alcoholβfree pairings. Into that landscape, a lowβcalorie, nonβalcoholic lemonade containing a measured dose of hempβderived Deltaβ9 THC feels less like a curiosity and more like a sign of where the clubhouse is heading.
Lemonade Lucy, serving her citrus punch to the political establishment of 1877, would likely raise an eyebrow at the hempβderived twist. But she would probably recognize the instinct: a clearer head, a lighter glass, and a seat on the porch with company. As LoLoβs tagline puts it, it is, by every measure, high time for lemonade.
WARNING: Do not drive or operate machinery after consuming this product. THC may impair your ability to drive safely. Effects vary significantly by individual β factors including metabolism, body weight, food intake, and prior experience with THC all affect onset and duration.