Photo by Cale Patten

In 1965, scientists of the University of Florida invented a drink that was high in electrolytes. The drink was created to help the school’s football team perform better on the field, and the high electrolyte count did indeed boost their performance and recovery. Nearly 60 years later, Gatorade, named after the University of Florida’s mascot, the “Gators”, is known around the world as one of, if not, the best sports drinks money can buy. 

The physical benefits Gatorade brings to athletes has been scientifically proven, but there’s another major selling point for the beverage: it tastes good. Of all the flavors of gatorade, which flavor is the best?

Mr. Johnson is a big fan of Lemon-Lime. “It reminds me of my childhood.”

Sports Fuel Drinks

Will be excluding Sports Fuel Drink flavors since all of the flavors exist in other forms. It’s very weird how it only came in the wanna-be Capri Sun pouches. Drinking these anytime other than 20 minutes before a baseball game is a crime.

Thirst Quencher

These flavors are the staples of Gatorade. When you think of Gatorade, these are the first drinks that pop into your head. Tried and true, they will always get the job done. 

Cool Blue– A staple of Gatorade. If presented with other options I might choose another flavor depending on my mood, but when you’re super thirsty, it’s hard to go wrong with cool blue. 7/10

Fruit Punch– Another quintessential flavor. Like a time capsule in a little bottle, fruit punch takes you back to summer when you were 10. All you can remember is the burning feeling of sitting on hot pavement, how much that razor scooter hurt your ankles, and the nice taste of fruit punch Gatorade. 8/10

Lemon-Lime– Somehow this flavor was always cold. I can remember what hot fruit punch and orange Gatorade tastes like, but not lemon-lime; that’s because this flavor was important and warranted the fridge real estate. Coach brought Gatorade after practice, which flavor is the first one gone? Lemon-lime baby. 10/10

Lemonade– Honestly I don’t remember this flavor well. Drastically overshadowed by lemon-lime. Not bad, but why bother when lemon-lime exists? 5/10

Lime Cucumber– Didn’t know this was a flavor? I didn’t either for a long time, but I wish I did sooner. It might sound disgusting, if you’re classless. It just works really well, especially if you’re a fan of cucumber water. It’s best in the summer, but there are definitely better alternatives depending on the season. Give it a shot though. 8.5/10

Orange– You know the neighbor kid that was always weird and constantly had a weird ring around their lips? It was from orange Gatorade. This is the flavor you always saw kids full-lip when drinking, and frankly orange (and lemon-lime) are arguably better out of a nipple-cap. But at the end of the day, after everything, it’s not bad. 7/10

Thirst Quencher Frost

Frost was a bold try from Gatorade, but the fruits of their labor may have bore some of the most fantastic beverages of all time.

Glacier Freeze– Nice flavor. The blue is very pretty, and the taste is very refreshing. Not the best of the bunch, but very solid. 8/10

Glacier Cherry– The mysterious white color might make you uncomfortable at first, but looks can be deceiving. This cherry gatorade is great tasting, although it doesn’t possess the “icy” qualities that you’d expect to come with something called “frost”. 8/10

Arctic Blitz– I don’t think I’ve tried this one before, but it looks really cool and I think I would like it. Very nice looking drink.  

Gatorade Thirst Quencher Fierce

It’s like Thirst Quencher, but fierce.

Green Apple– I remember the first time I saw this flavor back in a 7/11, I was ecstatic. But it crushed me to see that it was limited edition, especially after how good it was. However, the gator read the room and now green apple is here to stay. Personally, this is my favorite flavor. 10/10

Grape– Just no. Artificial grape flavoring has never been good to me, and Gatorade missed the mark here too. Fierce grape is like the Rockstar (the energy drink) of Gatorades. I would rather be thirsty. 1.5/10

Blue Cherry– It’s like glacier cherry, but it’s blue. Oddly enough, it tastes blue too. Pretty solid, especially super cold. 7/10

Melon– I don’t know what this tastes like, but again it just looks so good. It probably doesn’t taste as good as it looks, but it’s very aesthetically pleasing.

G2

Low sugar Gatorade. Great if you need/want a low sugar option, but if you don’t need it then I wouldn’t see any other reason to drink it since most of the flavors aren’t as good as their original counterparts.

The OG Flavors– Lots of the flavors from Thirst Quencher or Thirst Quencher Fierce carry over to G2, but aren’t quite as good. I’d take them down 2.5 points for each flavor. 

Tropical Blend, Blueberry Pomegranate, Raspberry Melon– Never tried, but I’d be willing to give them a shot. They sound decent, especially blueberry pomegranate.

Glacier Freeze is the favorite flavor of senior Nathan Uzmack (left) and junior Kamden Cherevka (right). “It’s good,” said Uzmack.

Gatorade Protein Shake

A protein shake from gatorade. They only come in 4 flavors: vanilla, cookies and cream, chocolate and peanut butter-chocolate. I’ve never tried any, but Cookies n’ Cream and Peanut Butter Chocolate have to be the best.

Gatorade Recover

These have really been phased out over the years. Meant to boost recovery, the idea was to drink one of these after a period of physical activity. Seems like a good idea, but they never took off. Although kiwi strawberry was a good one.