According to an article on www.famousfoods.com "Great-grandfather DeLucia made the earliest Del's Frozen Lemonade in 1840 in Naples, Italy.  During the winter he carried snow into nearby caves and insulated it with straw.  When summer arrived and the local lemons were rip and flavorful, he mixed their juice with just the right amount of sugar and snow, making a refreshing drink which he sold at the local market."  

As the legend goes Mr. DeLucia's son brought the concept of Del's Frozen Lemonade to America at the turn of the 20th Century.  Several decades later his son Angelo decided there was money to be made with his grandfather's concoction and he developed a machine and a production process that he was confident would turn out a consistently high quality product.   Then in 1948 Del's Frozen Lemonade opened it's first stand just a couple of miles down the road from where I reside in Cranston, RI.  The stand was only open from April to October and in those days the only thing they sold was frozen lemonade.  More than six decades later that original location is still open and thriving!   Here in Southern New England Del's Frozen Lemonade is as much a part of summer as Narragansett Bay, the Newport Jazz Festival and the Pawtucket Red Sox.  It is sold just about everywhere.  While Del's operates 20 locations in Rhode Island this product is also sold in lots of convenience stores , donut shops and movie theatres.  Del's Frozen Lemonade is also available from pushcart vendors and from trucks that crisscross the state all summer long.  And now you can even make Del's Lemonade right at home with Del's Soft Frozen Dry Lemonade Mix which is  available in many supermarkets and online at the Del's website.  In my opinion there is nothing more refreshing than a frosty cup of Del's on a hot summer day.  Much more refreshing than Rita's and infinitely superior to soda!  

Nowadays Del's Frozen Lemonade is spreading its wings.  Del's products can now be found in 36 states across America.  Chances are that sooner or later it will be available in your area.  Look for it!  Del's has even invaded the California market where this product can be enjoyed all year long.   Del's now has locations in Los Angeles, Venice and Atlalomas and more are on the way.  At the same time Del's is now offering a variety of flavors including watermelon, peach-mango, blueberry, cherry, pomegranate, grapefruit and even a light lemon for the calorie conscious.  Try it and I think you will agree that Del's is the most thrist-quenching drink you have ever tasted.

Several years ago I had a friend visiting from out of town.  We stopped at the original Del's location and I bought us both a cup of frozen lemonade.   When I handed him the cup he looked at me kind of cross-eyed.  He simply did not know what to make of it or even how to go about drinking it.  It was hilarious!    For folks like my pal Mike the Del's webside www.dels.com offers these simple instructions on "How to drink a Del's":

1)    Shake the cup - the heat from your hand will slowly melt the ice.
2)    Sip right from the cup - no straw is needed
3)    Repeat whenever you need an icy treat.

Del's Frozen Lemonade is a great regional item that really does deserve to go national.   Very highly recommended!