Talk:Squash (drink)

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See Talk:Drink re: Punch (drink). —msh210 05:22, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Contents 1 Merging Cordial (medicine) in with this page 2 Difference between cordial and squash 3 "Other dilutants such as lemonade may be used instead of water" 4 Use of the word 'syrup'

[edit] Merging Cordial (medicine) in with this page

They both refer to the same kind of drink. I'm not going to merge it yet, but I'm tagging it for now. The Cordial disambiguation page will also have to be altered. --Kgaughan 06:22, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

I had some misgivings, but created separate articles (when sorting out the half-baked disambig/article cordial page) because the meaning seemed distinct from the "squash" meaning. OTOH, I also dislike excessive article splitting for closely-related meanings. If they're *really* closely related enough, then they should be merged.

Perhaps cordial (drink) would have been a better "covers all cases" title than squash (drink). However, as I don't know which name is more common overall, or if there are subtle differences in meaning between the two, it's probably best to keep the original title for now. It's not important enough to justify moving stuff around :)

But back to the merge.... you're probably right. Leave it a couple of days and if no-one objects, merge cordial (medicine) into squash (drink).

Fourohfour 11:17, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

In light of Gate-way's comment below, I'm now undecided, possibly more in favour of keeping them separate. Fourohfour 12:01, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

I disagree strongly. The "cordial" use of squash as in children's lemonade is quite distinct from the historical use of the word cordial, which is aimed at an alcoholic beverage taken medicinally to invigourate the heart (thus: cordial, from latin, relating to the heart). I'm a strong advocate of maintaining both entries side by side. Cordial (medicine) does need some expanding though. : Gate-way 9:52, 13 November 2006 (CET)

In that sort of case, isn't it usual to have a history section on the same page? Bihal 00:53, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm seeing two very different drinks being described, at least the way the articles describe them now. Cordial is an alcoholic drink infused with fruits or herbs, sometimes with medicinal properties, while Squash is a sugar syrup flavored with fruit or herbs, and mixed with water to provide flavor and sweetness. The alcoholic/nonalcoholic difference is probably enough to keep them as separate articles, particularly since alcoholic and non-alcoholic products can not be used interchangeably. Ursula, 11:56, 17 November 2006 (EST)

(Note: Ursula is user:128.205.231.232 on history).

If you go to cordial, that meaning is covered there; or rather, the liqueur article is linked to. (I appreciate that some would contend that there are subtle differences between a liqueur and an alcoholic cordial). Fourohfour 19:43, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

You absolutely cannot merge medicinal cordial into squash! They are not even close to similar. It would be like merging whisky and bread, just because both are made from grains. Doubtless they have a merged history at some point but they couldn't be confused now. I'm removing the tag.Grace Note 10:38, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Difference between cordial and squash

When sorting out the different meanings of squash, I attempted to find out the difference between squash and cordial, and couldn't find any definitive answer. The claim that

The difference between a squash and a cordial is the concentration of fruit juice. Cordials have at least 30% fruit, whereas squash is normally around the 10 - 15% area.

has been made by 193.130.87.58. Since all the other definitions have been vague, and there is no context for the claim, I'd like a reference, particularly as meanings seem to vary around the world. Maybe this is just the legal definition in one country? Maybe it *is* a commonly accepted definition, but it needs clarifying. Thanks. Fourohfour 10:27, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Other dilutants such as lemonade may be used instead of water"

Other dilutants such as lemonade may be used instead of water.

Maybe so, but is that the intention? I mean, you could dilute it with whisky or sulphuric acid, but so what? I'd also point out that diluting it with lemonade would likely result in more strength/sweetness than would diluting it with water, since the lemonade already includes sugar and flavouring. But the bottles don't mention this "use" at all. Fourohfour 14:19, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree. Unless we can find a source that specifically notes this, it should be cut. Grace Note 10:42, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Use of the word 'syrup'

I'm a bit concerned about the use of the word 'syrup' here. Most squash, in the UK at least, is not viscous as one would expect from a syrup (contrast fruit syrups popular elsewhere in Europe). Sugar-free squash is also popular, which doesn't seem to jibe with the use of the word 'syrup' (usually implying sugar syrup) at all. Maybe the word 'concentrate' would be better? 86.90.244.119 19:09, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree; I changed this, and don't feel it affects the quality or universality of the article in a negative way. Fourohfour 14:29, 14 January 2007 (UTC)