R. White's Lemonade
Encyclopedia
R. White's Lemonade is a brand of a carbonated soft drink
, which is produced and sold in the UK
by Britvic
.
R. White's is a brand of lemonade
that has been produced for over 150 years. Robert and Mary White produced the first R. White's lemonade in Camberwell
, London, in 1845. The White Family took over H.D.Rawlings Ltd., in 1891, the year that it was incorporated, and then R.White & Sons Ltd., was itself incorporated in 1894.
In the 1970s, R White's also made orangeade, dandelion & burdock and cream soda.
R. White's still contains real lemons and is available as a diet, cloudy or clear drink.
The Company was taken over by Whitbreads in the 1960s, and was later absorbed by the Britvic Corporation in 1986 when Britvic and Canada Dry Rawlings Ltd, merged. This product, formerly made using real sugar, has (as of 2006) changed the traditional recipe replacing sugar with Aspartame
, Saccharin
& Acesulfame K.
campaign was launched, devised by Rod Allen
who wrote the slogan. The adverts featured the actor and mime Julian Chagrin, dubbed
with the voice of Ross MacManus
(father of Elvis Costello
, then called Declan MacManus). MacManus wrote the song, with his son providing the backing vocals.
The lemonade drinker is often erroneously identified as John Otway
, though Otway did appear in a later R. Whites advertisement in which he drank it in a phone box.
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
, which is produced and sold in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Britvic
Britvic
Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks. It is the number two soft drinks producer in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
.
R. White's is a brand of lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
that has been produced for over 150 years. Robert and Mary White produced the first R. White's lemonade in Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, London, in 1845. The White Family took over H.D.Rawlings Ltd., in 1891, the year that it was incorporated, and then R.White & Sons Ltd., was itself incorporated in 1894.
In the 1970s, R White's also made orangeade, dandelion & burdock and cream soda.
R. White's still contains real lemons and is available as a diet, cloudy or clear drink.
The Company was taken over by Whitbreads in the 1960s, and was later absorbed by the Britvic Corporation in 1986 when Britvic and Canada Dry Rawlings Ltd, merged. This product, formerly made using real sugar, has (as of 2006) changed the traditional recipe replacing sugar with Aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
, Saccharin
Saccharin
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...
& Acesulfame K.
Memorable marketing
In 1973 the popular Secret Lemonade Drinker advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
campaign was launched, devised by Rod Allen
Rod Allen (advertising executive)
Roderick Howard Allen was a British advertising executive who wrote many well known advertising slogans and jingles used in the United Kingdom. He was nicknamed the "jingle king"....
who wrote the slogan. The adverts featured the actor and mime Julian Chagrin, dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
with the voice of Ross MacManus
Ross MacManus
Ross MacManus was an English musician and trumpet player, who performed with Joe Loss and his orchestra, and the father of singer Elvis Costello....
(father of Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, then called Declan MacManus). MacManus wrote the song, with his son providing the backing vocals.
"1973 saw the launch of the brand’s most famous advertising campaign, ‘The Secret Lemonade Drinker’, which remained on screen until 1984. The ad featured a man in striped pyjamas creeping downstairs to raid the fridge for R Whites Lemonade. Ross MacManusRoss MacManusRoss MacManus was an English musician and trumpet player, who performed with Joe Loss and his orchestra, and the father of singer Elvis Costello....
(the father of singer Elvis Costello) wrote and sang the original song with his teenage son, providing backing vocals. The ad won a silver award at the 1974 International Advertising Festival."
The lemonade drinker is often erroneously identified as John Otway
John Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
, though Otway did appear in a later R. Whites advertisement in which he drank it in a phone box.