Walk into Toomer’s Drugs, a beloved institution in downtown Auburn, and the here’s the first thing you’ll notice: The place smells like lemons.

It’s a fresh and fragrant scent, like entering a citrus grove. And there’s a good reason for that.

Toomer’s Drugs is famous for its fresh-squeezed lemonade, prepared and served by a team of college students who greet customers cheerfully at the door. You can’t get this sweet-and-sour treat anywhere but in the little store at 100 N. College St., smack-dab in the heart of the loveliest village on the Plains.

“It’s definitely what we’re famous for, is our lemonade,” said Michael Overstreet, longtime manager of Toomer’s Drugs. “Now, we do sell a lot of Auburn T-shirts and hats and apparel, but it’s definitely the lemonade that brings people in.”

Toomer’s Drugs, founded in 1896, is a popular destination for folks who visit Auburn, especially when the Tigers are playing football at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The store, which sells lemonade and ice cream, also doubles as a souvenir shop and is a traditional haunt for Auburn students, faculty and university staff.

Adding to the popularity of Toomer’s Drugs is its prime location, right across the street from Toomer’s Corner. That’s where Auburn fans celebrate sports victories with revels that include “rolling the Corner,” or adorning a couple of live oak trees with toilet paper. (Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.)

“Every time we win a football game or sporting event in general, that is where we’re going to come, and we’re going to roll the trees, and thousands of people are going to gather, right outside our front door,” Overstreet said. “It’s just a fun time for everybody.”

Drinking the cold, tart lemonade from Toomer’s Drugs helps to make gamedays special, quenching the thirsts of Auburn faithful who’ve gotten slightly hoarse from shouting “War Eagle!” Celebrities ranging from comedian Jeff Foxworthy to Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth have been spotted at the store, Overstreet said, and Aubie, the Auburn mascot, is a regular.

At this point, you might be wondering: Well, what’s so great about the lemonade at Toomer’s? It’s a fair question, partly because the formula for the iconic drink have been shrouded in mystery. Let’s try to break it down.

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS?

The blueprint for ordinary lemonade seems quite simple. In most cases, it’s a blend of lemon juice, water and sugar. But Toomer’s lemonade has something extra that’s never been revealed. A special syrup? A type of sugar? A magic potion created by elves? Overstreet, a cordial guy who’s been the manager at Toomer’s for 23 years, declined to give specifics to AL.com. In fact, he seemed reluctant to verify that two of the essentials for Toomer’s lemonade are water and sweetener.

“Well, of course, we use fresh lemons and just the right amount of everything else,” Overstreet said. “It’s made fresh every day.”

SO THERE ARE SECRET INGREDIENTS?

“Oh, no, we’ll definitely tell you about the secret ingredients,” Overstreet said with a smile. “It’s Auburn spirit and love. We put it in each glass, and you can taste it.”

Some extra research was clearly in order, so we turned to a story by Kathy Seale, a former lifestyle reporter for The Birmingham News. She spent an entire gameday working alongside the students at Toomer’s Drugs, when the Tigers faced the Ball State Cardinals in September 2005. (It was a rout, by the way, with Auburn winning 63-3.)

“I grab lemons, one by one, and slice them in half,” Seale wrote. “I place one half on a crank squeezer, then rotate the handle and squeeze, then rotate the handle again and squeeze, ‘til I’ve drained the yellow fruit of all its juice — and my arm of all its energy. … I become very familiar with the ice scoop. Behind the counter, six of us, usually two or three at a time, jockey for space around the ice container after we’ve poured a ‘secret’ amount of lemon juice, then a ‘secret’ amount of a ‘secret ingredient’ — the stuff that makes the lemonade sweet — into small or large lemonade cups. Next we fill the cups with ice, then top with a bit of water. Stir, slap lids on them, then try to remember who to hand the cups to.”

Verdict: Yes, there are secrets to making Toomer’s lemonade, and it looks like they’ll stay that way.

DO THEY ALWAYS SQUEEZE LEMONS BY HAND?

“During the week, we do,” Overstreet said. “But we also have a machine that will help us out. It can squeeze a lot faster than we can. … We’ll start squeezing a day or so ahead of time, but that’s really just to get us through the Thursday, Friday, Saturday morning of gamedays. Someone’s usually here about 6 in the morning, squeezing lemons for the gameday.”

WHAT DOES THE LEMONADE TASTE LIKE?

“It’s strong,” Overstreet said. “It’s definitely a little stronger than what you’re probably used to, in what you get at the grocery store or make at home. People call it sweet and sour, at the same time, because it’s very strong. But that’s the way we like it, you know. That’s sort of what sets us apart.”

HOW IS IT SERVED?

By the cup, lemonade at Toomer’s comes in two sizes: small (16 ounces, $2.75) or large (32 ounces, $4.36). Flavor add-ins cost 25 cents. “We also do a frozen lemonade; it’s more of like a slushie, and it comes in 16 ounces,” Overstreet said. (Price for frozen lemonade is $3.67.) A refrigerator case inside the store holds 16-ounce bottles of lemonade that are made in house ($3), as well as gallon jugs ($20). Toomer’s also sells souvenir Mason jars, and those can be sanitized on site and filled with lemonade, if the customer wants it.

HOW POPULAR IS IT?

Toomer’s doesn’t keep records on how many cups of lemonade are sold each day or week, according to Overstreet. “It’s a lot,” he said. “We absolutely don’t go through and count, and say we were up or down this week with lemonade. We don’t really concern ourselves with that too much. We’re just making sure we can take care of everybody who comes in the store.” However, he estimated that Toomer’s goes through 100-120 cases of lemons on a game weekend.

DO CUSTOMERS HAVE TO STAND IN LINE?

“On busy days, absolutely, the line is out the door,” Overstreet said. “That’s gamedays, of course, and even during the summer, because there is a lot going on here during the summer in Auburn. There’s always some kind of event happening, and generally, summers are busy days for us, particularly on the weekends.”

DO PEOPLE ORDER LEMONADE IN JANUARY?

“Yes, absolutely,” Overstreet said. “It’s not just regular lemonade; we have a lot of flavors to our lemonade. You’re also going to get, probably 10 flavors, and we’re always switching out new flavors during that time of the year, to help the traffic in. Because sometimes people want to try some crazy, cotton candy flavor or something we come up with during the slower times of the year, in January and February.”

Vanilla and strawberry are the most popular flavors for lemonade at Toomer’s, Overstreet said. In fall 2023, the store also offers cherry, peach, raspberry, blue raspberry, green apple, kiwi, blackberry, pineapple, watermelon and mango.

WHAT MAKES THE LEMONADE STAND OUT?

“I really have to say it’s just different,” Overstreet said. “It’s special. You’re not going to get lemonade like it anywhere else. It’s obviously good enough to be around for over 100 years. So we’re not tooting our own horn, but we are very proud of the product that we put out, and I think people respond to that.”

IS IT AN AUBURN TRADITION?

“Oh, absolutely,” Overstreet said. “People, when they were here in college, they would come to Toomer’s and get their lemonade, their ice cream, and then when they come back years later, that’s part of their tradition. They want to come back, they want to sort of relive those memories, and we are blessed to be a part of that. We just absolutely love having the alumni come back in, and just sort of relive what is probably the best time of their lives.”

It’s unclear when Toomer’s lemonade became a bona fide sensation, by the way, although Overstreet said the store starting selling it from the get-go. Refrigerator magnets sold at Toomer’s also point to the lemonade’s origins, saying, “Put a smile on your face with Toomer’s lemonade, fresh squeezed since 1896.”

DO PEOPLE EVER MIX BOOZE WITH THE LEMONADE?

OK, that’s a curveball, but Overstreet handled it easily. “What people do with the lemonade once they purchase it is their business,” he said.

HOW MUCH DOES AUBIE LIKE LEMONADE?

“Aubie comes in all the time, and we always love having Aubie in the store,” Overstreet said. “He is so much fun. The Aubie that you see out there on the football field is the same Aubie that’s inside the store. And the staff loves it. We get very little work done when Aubie comes in the store.”

Ask Overstreet if Aubie ever takes off his mascot head to drink the lemonade, and you’ll get a blank stare in return. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Aubie is Aubie.”

DO OTHER AUBURN CELEBS RAISE A RUCKUS AT TOOMER’S?

“The only person, when they come in, who will sort of cause a scene will be (Auburn basketball coach) Bruce Pearl,” Overstreet said, “and that’s just because everybody loves Bruce Pearl. When he comes in, everybody knows it, everybody wants to say hey to him, and of course he can handle it so well. He knows that part of his job is just going to attract attention, and he’s OK with that.”

WHEN CAN YOU GET THE LEMONADE?

Toomer’s Drugs is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

“Honestly, I just want people to come in and try it themselves and form their own opinion,” Overstreet said. “I want them to just walk in the store and try a lemonade. It’s something that’s fun to do. It’s inexpensive, and it’s a treat. You can bring your family in, and you don’t drop $100 for an experience. It’s just fun to do, and you never know who you’re going to see in here.”

RELATED: Auburn on a quiet and hot fall afternoon: Photos from campus