I have had a couple of requests for the recipe for homemade Gatorade (or as RamboGranny calls it, "Tony's Brew"). I figured I'd post it up here for convenience. The thing I like about this recipe is that I know exactly what is in it and it tastes great.
1 Cup Lemon Juice (NOT concentrate)2 Tbs Lime Juice2/3 to 1 Cup Sugar (adjust to your taste preference)1 tsp salt1/2 tsp baking sodaWater to make 1 gallon
I recommend using a gallon jug, filling it with the liquid ingredients (minus water), then add half the water, then dry ingredients, then the rest of the water. This will keep it from getting frothy and possibly making a mess. Enjoy!
Do you squeeze lemons and limes, or are there bottled juices that you found that works? Have you figured the price compared to Gatorade or Powerade?
This sounds like something I'd like to try. I've been drinking the bottled stuff, but am not crazy about the high fructose corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners the makers use.
Linda, I have used both fresh-squeezed juice and bottled with good results. The fresh-squeezed has a bit stronger flavor. If you buy the large bottles of lemon juice, there is a significant savings over the bottled gatorade, but it's probably more expensive than the powder. My favorite part is that this recipe is all natural and YOU control the impressions to your taste.
Putting this on the to-do list. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for the post, I've been searching for a more natural substitute for Gatorade.
-V. :cool2:
Natural? What's not natural about drinking glycerol ester of wood rosin?
Thanks for sharing. What's the purpose of the baking soda in this recipe?
The baking soda serves a dual purpose in this recipe: It replenishes essential salts that are released in sweat and neutralizes some of the acid from the citrus. If you think back to the volcano project most elementary schoolers make, it is the same concept, an acid (Vinegar) and a base (Baking soda, aka Sodium Bicarbonate) come together, react and release oxygen (bubbles) and leave a salt solution. "So why is there also salt in the recipe?" you might ask. Good question. That goes strictly into the realm of taste and the types of salts created by the citric acid. This recipe replenishes not only what we colloquially call "Salt" (NaCl) but other salts as well. I'm no chemist but that's my limited comprehension of the subject. The first chemistry teacher I encounter will most assuredly be asked for more detain and I'll be glad to share.
Quote from: Transform on December 11, 2012, 11:11:38 PM
Natural? What's not natural about drinking glycerol ester of wood rosin?
It goes well with the wood pulp or cellulose that is in too many foods to list!
Good thread and good response ToneDef!
While I understand that "glycerol ester of wood rosin" is really just brominated vegetable oil, I'm still happy to have a recipe to make it myself without those added ingredients. Someone just sent me this clear explanation:
http://www.wisegeek.org/why-do-many-beverages-include-wood-rosin.htm
For Linda, I did the math. Using these prices as given (priced it out based on Amazon.com prices for relatively inexpensive, less refined foods), the cost is less than Gatorade either bottled or powdered.
Gatorade powder: $19.08 for 9 gallons worth = $2.12 per gallon
Gatorade (bottled): $19.00 for 7.5 gallons = $2.53 per gallon
This recipe - Lemon Juice ~$0.50(4 cups for $2.00 on sale), Lime Juice ~$0.30-0.50 (cheaper for non-organic), Sugar ~$1.00 ($2/Lb, recipe uses ~1/2 Lb), Salt, baking soda and water I'm factoring as negligible. That makes the price per gallon approximately $2.00
Thank you verymuch for the recipe and for figuring out the cost. I'm going to a shoot this weekend, so I think I'll give it a try.
as a diabetic who is allergic to aspartame (in most all of those gatorade zero - etc), but can eat splenda.. i can make my own... thanks
plus i went to FSU - i hate the gators and gatorade by default
Quote from: Some Guy on December 21, 2012, 04:17:33 PM
plus i went to FSU - i hate the gators and gatorade by default
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can label your bottle whatever you want! "Nole-Ade, anyone?!"
Quote from: Some Guy on December 21, 2012, 04:17:33 PM
as a diabetic who is allergic to aspartame (in most all of those gatorade zero - etc), but can eat splenda.. i can make my own... thanks
plus i went to FSU - i hate the gators and gatorade by default
I would recommend Stevia, which has no glycemic value and is not derived from chlorine.... $$-0
V
Some Guy, I strongly recommend listening to CiviSoldier on this issue. Although I know that diabetics face a huge challenge with finding safe sweeteners, splenda (sucralose) is incredibly toxic. Although the molecule remains relatively stable during cooking, and the body doesn't metabolize it "as sucrose", it does metabolize it into other hazardous, chlorine-based byproducts. (Basically, eating splenda is sort of like cooking with crystallized bleach.)
There are currently NO safe artificial sweeteners. Saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are all extremely toxic.
Some of the safer substitutes include dextrose and maltodextrin (both bulking agents in splenda), and stevia.
I tried this stuff at the last event, it tastes like flavored,sweetened, sweat, just as all sport drinks do, but a little less so
Tonedeaf,
U are amazing sir. Here I thought u only did the finest Cafe Cubano I have ever tasted! O0