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Honey Boo-Boo with Melona and honeydew. Strawberry Wild. Mango Jam. Pucker Up (sour apple). These are a few of the Hawaii-inspired drinks you’ll find at Da Lemonade Squad truck.
The business launched last year as a result of the pandemic, according to owner Kalena Hanohano.
“We started in a pop-up tent, but then the COVID-19 lockdown happened,” she says. “We decided to invest in a food truck so we could still serve our loyal customers.
“After many attempts to name our business, we found it was best to call ourselves ‘Da Lemonade Squad,’ as we are a family-owned operation and we sell local-flavored lemonade,” she adds.
Besides regular lemonade, the truck offers frozen lemonade slushies, infused sodas and iced teas. Customers can also purchase add-ons like Thai and chamoy walls, li hing seeds and more.
The top five drinks are pickled mango frozen lemonade with chamoy walls, Wild Passion Lemonade (strawberry lilikoi) on ice, Razzle Dazzle (blue raspberry) infused soda, Li Hing Yummy Gummy frozen lemonade, and POG frozen lemonade with Thai walls, according to Hanohano.
“The chamoy walls and lemon peel add-ons are especially popular,” she says. “I like sour flavors, so my favorite is straight-up, plain lemonade with li hing mui seed and li hing powder.
“Lots of places have regular lemonade, but we wanted to be able to offer local flavors from the island,” she adds.
This summer, customers can beat the heat with Da Lemonade Squad’s new candy slushies. These menu creations just launched, Hanohano says, and featured candies can be mixed with any flavors currently on Da Lemonade Squad’s menu.
“We did Razzle Dazzle with Nerds candy inside, and we’re thinking of doing a flavor with Pop Rocks,” she says. “We’re going to see if we can get Gushers mixed in there, and we’re going to play with a bunch of other flavors.”
Da Lemonade Squad is only doing pop-up events. You can find the truck at Residence Inn at Kapolei on Fridays and Ohana Nights at Windward Mall every second Saturday of the month. Follow its Instagram (@da_lemonade_squad) for updates.
Da Lemonade Squad
Instagram: @da_lemonade_squad
How to pay: Cash, credit card, Venmo, Cash App
How to order: In person
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