Because what we call "lemonade" in Europe is not the same drink as what is called "lemonade" in the US, although we usually have our own variation (citronnade in France) that corresponds to the American one.
May have been from back in the day when sodas were still made from carbonating different kinds of fruit juices. Drinks like fanta were a lot more like sparkling lemonade or orange juice than they are now.
They're called the same thing, but no one considers them to be similar.
It's like how we use "chips" to refer to both crisps and fries. You usually know which ones it's going to be based on context, and if it's not clear you can always ask.
On menus and things, we typically would call it "traditional lemonade" to clarify that it's not sprite.
In parts of Scotland all fizzy sugary drinks are called "ginger" I believe, "gies a bottle ay ginger" to get a bottle of lemonade... just to muddy the (lemony) waters further
Where did this bullshit come from? Sprite is not lemonade in Europe or Australia, it's lemon and lime and I don't know anyone who doesn't know that.
There's loads of brands of lemonade here and Australia, cloudy, traditional, clear...wtf?
So for the folks that call lemon-lime soda "lemonade" (instead of the non-carbonated drink consisting of water, sugar, and lemon juice), is the idiom "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" just not a thing? Or is it an idiom that is in use but it just doesn't really make a whole lot of sense?
Don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons, what the hell am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!
Ooooh!!! Oooh!!!! I've had Orangina in Italy and it's made from real Italian oranges with real orange juice and it's the best God damn Orangina I've EVER HAD!
There are only 2 sweet fizzy drinks in Europe. Coke (obvious) and lemonade (everything else that isn't coke). Easy, simple. We do have lemonade flavors. Orange, lemon (citron), etc lemonade. But they're all lemonade.
Somehow over time lemonade became to mean the same as soda here in Belgium. Probably through being introduced to American lemonade and Soda at the same time.
Most carbonated fruit drinks are called lemonade. Coka Cola is called just Cola. Sprite, Fanta and similar drinks are all lemonades here.