10 Feb 2012 - Why mix lemon or lime with Corona beers

Today I went for an after work drink again and I was speaking to one of my friends who joined me. He was telling me the reason why lemon or lime wedges were initially put into Corona beers. He said that originally in Mexico they recycled all the bottles but didn't necessarily clean them properly, so bar tenders started to put lemon or lime wedges in the top of the bottle so that patrons could use it to disinfect the bottle's rim before drinking the beer. I found this interesting, so I did a little further research, via Google, into whether or not this was true. My Google search brought me to many different websites, all of which had differing opinions on the history of lemon/lime and Corona. One of the theories agreed with my friend's that it was used to sanitise the bottles, by wiping the lip with the citrus juice. Another was that it was all a marketing ploy, which is why you see lime wedges in advertisements for Corona. 

My favourite theory however, and the one that I am going to adopt as the real reason when I tell the story, is that it is used to keep the flies out. The story goes, that patrons complained about the flies hovering around their beers but when the bartenders sprayed the fly spray, they complained about that too, saying that is ruined the flavour of the beer by having the fly spray used nearby. So the bartenders started by putting a lemon or lime wedge in the top of the beers to keep the flies away instead of using the fly spray. It was only ever intended to sit in the top of the bottle, and to be removed when a patron wanted to take a sip, then replaced again after each sip. However tourists to the area started to push the lime or lemon into the beer and drink it that way, which is how the tradition started. I have worked in hospitality and have solved problems for patrons myself, only to have them complain about the solution, so the fly theory rings true to me. Also I have seen and heard many stories about tourists misinterpreting local customs, and I am probably guilty of it myself! Overall these reasons make the fly theory my favourite and the one I see as most realistic.

If you want to read about the Corona and lemon or lime theories, check out the site I found most useful the Examiner website.