Homemade Sports Drink Recipes

I wanted to begin the title for this post with Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café, but I just couldn’t.  It didn’t feel honest. 

So why even post these recipes?  Yeah, I thought about that, too.

I do not like sports drinks of any kind.  They’re expensive and full of artificial ingredients, most of them, anyway. I like water (we’ve got the best well water) and I like juice.  I tolerate herbal teas for medicinal purposes (with lots of sugar or honey).  Most of my children take after me.  If, however, they get sick, they often want something to replace electrolyte loss.

My husband is an entirely different creature.  He quickly tires of drinking plain water.  He's proud of himself for quitting diet soda (and frequently reminds me that I should be proud of him as well).  His snack basket in the pantry is full of those little packets of sports drink flavorings.  He loves a variety of flavors.  (I suspect he is taken in by all the pretty little packaging also.)

He maintains a fair supply, picking them up when they’re on clearance, but nowhere near enough for a year or two or three.  Someday that supply will be exhausted, so here are the suggestions I will give him for making his own.  Of course, I would make them for him if he didn’t have such a finicky palate—one that can change from one day to the next.  (Drives me crazy.)

Sports Drink with Sugar

2 quarts water

1/2 cup sugar
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon salt substitute
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid

Mix it all up and refrigerate.

Sugar-Free Sports Drink

1 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Sweetener—Crystal Light drink mix, sugar-free syrups, stevia

Flavoring—Crystal Light drink mix, unsweetened Kool-Aid

Mix it all up and refrigerate.

Fruit Juice Sports Drink

2 cups fruit juice

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

Pinch salt substitute

Mix it all up and refrigerate.

Honey Citrus Sports Drink

3 cups water

1 cup lemon, lime, orange, or pineapple juice

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon salt

Maple Syrup Sports Drink

3 ¾ cups water

¼ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon salt

Squeeze of lemon, optional

Dash cayenne, optional

Mix it all up and refrigerate.

Notes.  Several sources recommended substituting a couple of fruity herbal tea bags for the Kool-Aid.  If I decided that I needed a sports drink, this is the path I would take.  Because citrus fruits may be in short supply, consider using True Lemon or similar products instead. 

One source recommended straight pickle juice as an excellent electrolyte replacement with just the right balance of salt and sugar.  I’m a little dubious. 

I don’t know that sports drinks are going to be all that essential in the coming days, other than for treating more serious cases of vomiting and diarrhea.  I do know that I want to have recipe on hand, just in case I change my mind. 

Links to related posts:

Oral Rehydration Therapy

Lemon and Lime Juice Options in TEOTWAWKI