They even arrived Americans to copy it, but the Lemoncocco there is only one, that of Piazza Buenos Aires, which the Romans affectionately call Piazza Quadrata. We are in Northern Rome, the Coppedè district, one of the most fascinating corners of the capital which bears the name of the architect who designed it. Here, in 1946 Lemoncocco was born, one of the most peculiar and popular kiosks in the city, so called because of the house drink, with a secret recipe.
Lemoncocco, the kiosk in Northern Rome
At the base, as you can imagine from the name, lemon and coconut juice, but doses, precise ingredients and procedure remain a mystery. A cold and thirst-quenching drink that has become the symbol of the neighborhood, like Piper, the most popular nightclub in the 1960s. A single location, the same as always, the one inaugurated on 7 July 1946, a fixed stop in summer thanks also to the fruit cremolati. To drink, then, there is also a coffee shop, the espresso goes well with the almond cremolato, then there are ice lollies (also with lemon coconut), extracts and orange juices, in the evening Spritz and cocktails various to enjoy standing on the hottest days.
When the Americans copied the lemon coconut
The king, however, remains only lemoncocco, that drink which also landed in the United States, complete with the same logo. The case dates back to 2017: the heiress of Canadian origin and American by adoption, Jennifer Cue, had started marketing the drink on the west coast together with her Roman husband, not surprisingly from Coppedè. But what the couple sold was “just water and sugar in a soulless jar” he explained Antonio Cataldoarchitect who manages the kiosk at Corriere della Sera, saying that Jennifer’s husband had introduced himself a couple of years earlier leaving a business card with the writing Lemoncocco, “I thought he wanted to talk about business, perhaps a joint venture with us, owners of the registered trademark”. And instead he wanted to present his copy made in the USA.
The Romans, however, know well that the true, inimitable lemon coconut is that of Piazza Quadrata, which has quenched the thirst of entire generations for almost seventy-eight years.
Lemoncocco – Rome – Piazza Buenos Aires – instagram.com/lemoncocco_pquadrata?igsh=MWpsa2ZpNG8xeng2MA==
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