Discontinued Powerade Flavors You'll Probably Never Drink Again

Powerade is not nearly as popular as its beverage cousin, Gatorade, but the brand still produces a beloved assortment of sports drinks that have quenched thirst, replenished electrolytes, and provided great taste to millions of people since 1988. This Coca-Cola subsidiary is well-known for its sweet taste and variety of flavors. At some point, you've probably tried many Powerade flavors and found one or two that fit your fancy. Perhaps you're a die-hard for the fan-favorite white cherry or maybe your unique palate can't get enough of the strawberry lemonade flavor.

But like many products in the food and beverage industry, some flavors inevitably meet their untimely demise and are discontinued forever. It is a universal experience we've all been through. You pop into your local store after a hot summer's day in the sun, and after a diligent search, your heart melts, but not because of the heat — your go-to Powerade is nowhere to be found. There's nothing worse than finding out that your favorite Powerade flavor was pulled from the shelves when you wanted it most. So, let's explore these bygone flavors and cherish the deliciously thirst-quenching joy each sip brought us.

Read more: Diet Sodas, Ranked Worst To Best

Jagged Ice

Powerade offers a colorful spectrum of flavors, and at the far end of the darker-toned drinks is none other than Jagged Ice. This one-of-a-kind drink left an indelible mark on the taste buds of devoted fans who dearly miss the enigmatic cherry-like flavor. Though its exact introduction date and eventual disappearance are shrouded in the mists of time, the memories it stirred persist among those lucky enough to have swallowed its icy, refreshing coolness.

For all the Jagged Ice fans out in the world, this flavor of Powerade wasn't just a drink; it was an experience that sent a soothing chill down your throat. The taste was crisp and unforgettable. Despite ultimately meeting its end, nostalgic whispers about it often resurface online, like one Reddit user who lamented, "I miss it so much." Another Reddit user fondly recalled, "Nothing like an ice cold Jagged Ice."

Humorously, some Jagged Ice fans mistook the grape flavor for this elusive novelty item, likely due to the similar coloring and the (incorrect) assumption that they shared a similar flavor profile. But all hope is not lost, as the beverage can still be found in South Africa and purchased online via South African outlets, so for the die-hards (and curious consumers out there), now is your chance.

Green Squall

In the annals of Powerade lore, Green Squall was a legendary flavor that graced store shelves with a particular neon brilliance that few flavors have been able to replicate. This discontinued powerhouse stood out not only for its distinctive color but also for its sweeter flavor. Green Squall enthusiasts couldn't get enough of its energizing taste.

The exact timeline of Green Squall's rise and fall is vague. As with many Powerade flavors that come and go at the drop of a hat, it's difficult to discern the truth. It's been absent from the scene since at least 2010, but one thing is clear: No one will forget the irresistible flavor, which was a bonafide beverage miracle.

Though Green Squall has been gone for over a decade, it has developed a vibrant online community and amassed a cult following. The flavor even has its own pages on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, where fans gather to reminisce about the good old days when Green Squall was a part of their lives. As you can imagine, the pages are rife with expressions of love and wishes for its triumphant return. Some playful banter has emerged, too, with many fans comparing it to the sour melon flavor. One Facebook user fervently pleaded, "BRING BACK THE SQUALL! Sour Melon bad. Green Squall good." The legacy of Green Squall lives on. But will it return? Who knows.

Cucumber Lime

When you hear Cucumber Lime, what do you picture? You probably think of a drink with green coloring that sits somewhere between a lime and a cucumber. But in actuality, this unique flavor within the Power Water line from Powerade was as clear as spring water and packed with natural flavors, ginseng, and all the electrolytes you'd expect from a sports drink. With a distinctive cucumber taste and hints of lime, the healthier drink option quickly disappeared off the shelves.

Sadly, without much explanation, Powerade confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, in July 2021 that the Cucumber Lime flavor had been discontinued after a user on the platform tweeted that they had emailed the company to find out why it was taken off the shelves, even though it was a best-selling flavor in their area, highlighting the popularity of the drink.

One X user and fan of the drink chimed in on the discussion, lamenting bitterly, "This flavor was amazing and besides the mango the only one worth buying? what gives?" It's a mystery why this flavor was canceled. Perhaps due to low sales, despite what its fans said? Either way, maybe it will see a revival in the not-too-distant future. At least a proper explanation for its discontinuation would bring fans some closure.

Berry Cherry

The Berry Cherry variant of the Power Water line of Powerade drinks emerged as a nice departure from the traditional sports drink experience. Along with Cucumber Lime and Tropical Mango, Powerade introduced the Power Water flavors in 2020, targeting consumers who jog, go to the gym, and engage in other exhilarating exercises requiring a healthy thirst quencher. Though Berry Cherry Power Water had a very short run, it found a niche with its blend of cherry and wild berry flavors.

Its taste, reminiscent of Kool-Aid but without all the added sugars, set Berry Cherry apart. It was great for a hike because it would sustain you through your adventures without a sugar crash. And it had zero calories. You just can't beat a drink that packs in the flavor without all the extra stuff. The absence of an aftertaste was one of its standout features, too.

But like its other Power Water brethren, Berry Cherry faced an untimely demise, bowing out due to a lack of consumer demand. In response to a consumer's question, Powerade stated on the X platform, "The availability of any of our brands depends on overall consumer demand." So ultimately, money talks, and if the money isn't flowing, neither is the Berry Cherry Power Water, no matter how much die-hard fans decry the business decision. There goes another one with a brief stint in the limelight.

Tropical Mango

This Tropical Mango Powerade beverage is part of the doomed Power Water trio that reached its end after only a few short years. Another discontinued Powerade treasure, this clear and crisp offering, distinct from its vibrant Ion 4 Tropical Mango counterpart, boasted the same benefits -– zero calories and no sugar -- that were characteristic of the Power Water range of Powerade drinks. Despite these virtues, this flavor succumbed to a cruel fate like all the rest.

The flavor profile of this beverage struck a delicate balance, winning favor for its lack of the excessive sweetness and troublesome aftertaste that sometimes plagues sports drinks. Unfortunately, Tropical Mango failed to amass the fervent following that some other discontinued flavors, like Green Squall and Jagged Ice, have garnered over the years. In a world where bold flavors often reign supreme, it might be fair to surmise that Tropical Mango's understated charm may have been its Achilles heel. But its cancellation is a reminder that beverage preferences exist within an ever-evolving consumer landscape. Even a well-received flavor might not guarantee a lasting presence.

R.I.P. Power Water Tropical Mango. For the fans who appreciated its subtle allure, disappointment still lingers. It raises the question of whether a bit more flavor might have secured it a longer tenure. No way to know now — a pity.

Flava23

What do Lebron James, comics, and Powerade have in common? A lucrative brand deal, that's what. Picture it: It's the early 2000s, and you're standing before a cooler, eyes scanning for something beyond the ordinary. And there it is -- a vibrant red bottle with a picture of the NBA player on the label. Enter Flava23, a limited-edition sports drink that marked the partnership between Powerade and the basketball juggernaut himself.

A sprightly 19-year-old James had many achievements at that point, like being the youngest player to score 40 points in a game and tied among the youngest players to score 1,000 points in a season. In 2004, he was the first athlete to create his own sports drink. It was an exciting concept, with a unique sourberry flavor and red color that helped it stand out. Even more interesting was that James partnered with DC Comics to release a comic called King James to coincide with the launch of the sports drink. Customers would receive a free copy of the comic with every purchase of three 32-ounce bottles of Flava23.

This unique marketing strategy -- which made more sense than Lebron's endorsement deal with McDonald's -- was one of a kind, turning Flava

23 into more than just a celebrity branding gimmick. It was a citrusy, tropical, thirst-quenching experience. The bottle alone is a relic of nostalgia for James fans and Powerade stans.

Option

Remember when Powerade gave us one more "option" to ponder in the beverage aisle? Well, now we've got one less option to choose from, and the pun is almost as bittersweet as the drink's fleeting history. Cue the flashback. It's 2005, and Coca-Cola has introduced Option as an all-new healthy sports drink with 80% fewer calories than its illustrious rival, Gatorade. The early 2000s was a time in America when more health-minded people swapped burgers for salads and elevators for stairs, so Option -- which used sucralose and high fructose corn syrup and came in at 10 calories a serving -- was the drink that reflected those new trends.

Option came in various flavors, like lemon, strawberry, and black cherry. The variety enticed consumers seeking a beverage that catered to their fitness needs and taste preferences. But despite Coca-Cola's best efforts, Option found itself swimming against a tide of profitability. The brand eventually reached an impasse and was replaced with the enduring Powerade Zero. It's difficult to say why Option failed, but Powerade Zero has continued to succeed to this very day.

Even with its discontinuation, Powerade Option served as the blueprint for Zero's success. Its legacy lives on despite no longer gracing our shelves. Zero always sounds better for marketing — just look at Coke Zero.

Arctic Shatter

When it comes to Powerade varieties, Arctic Shatter is something of an enigma with a peculiar flavor profile that remains a subject of debate among enthusiasts. One fan swears by a lemony essence, while another indicates it's some mystical blend of peach, cherry, and plum, with peach being the dominant flavor. On AnandTech, one whimsical fan playfully suggested that it carried the exotic notes of "polar bear flavor with a tint of penguin." Now, that does sound very unappetizing.

Like many canceled flavors, the origins and discontinuation of this flavor are quite a mystery, but a 1999 print ad hints that it came out around the turn of the millennium. Befitting for a drink with an ambiguous flavor profile, Arctic Shatter is known for its chameleon-like label transformations. From an ESPN-themed design to an Olympic-themed bottle, Arctic Shatter flaunted versatility unmatched in taste and aesthetic by its more straight-laced Powerade kin.

Amid the taste debate, one Reddit user humorously remarked, "I feel like Glacier Cherry [Gatorade] is a watered-down version of Arctic Shatter." It just goes to show that fans hold fast to the memories of their favorite drinks, even when they've been gone for so long. That's the power of Arctic Shatter's enigmatic allure, leaving behind a legacy as cool as its name implies.

The Matrix Reloaded

We're heading back to the early 2000s for this one. Probably the most unique Powerade flavor the brand has ever brought to the market, this neon green drink was created as a quirky limited-time tie-in to promote The Matrix Reloaded film in 2003. Complete with a thematic Matrix-inspired bottle and a collectible box with film cells of the drink and Agent Smith, the beverage took consumers on a flavor journey that paralleled the cinematic adventure of the iconic movie it collaborated with.

The promotional campaign, which included a parody commercial, added an extra layer of charm to this fleeting beverage experience. But this Matrix-themed Powerade drink had a finite lifespan, as it was conceived solely for the film's promotional run. Once the movie's run ended, so did this Powerade's availability.

Now, two decades later, enthusiasts still proudly display unopened bottles of this time-traveling elixir, a testament to the enduring mythic allure of the movie memorabilia. It's not really a beverage anymore — not one you should drink, anyway. Any remaining bottles of this drink are a relic to store on a display shelf like those old Coke glasses people showcase.

Infrared Freeze

Sadly, not much is known about Infrared Freeze. As one of the more obscure flavors in the Powerade lineup, this thirst quencher doesn't have much of an origin story or a tale about its demise. When it was released or discontinued is unclear, keeping with the trend of mysterious sports drinks coming and going as swiftly as the wind and not giving consumers much time to try them before disappearing from the face of the earth to be forgotten -- unable to leave a mark on our taste buds or memories.

Even so, this Powerade at least stood out for what it was. This bright red beverage was an eye-catcher, if nothing else, laden with enough artificial coloring like Yellow 6 and Red 40 to stain your favorite shirt with one dribble. But if you got to try this flavor, you were lucky. With 15 added grams of sugar coming from high fructose corn syrup, this drink was likely sweeter than some of its healthier counterparts. No doubt, drinking a bottle of Infrared Freeze probably tasted like someone knocked over a jar of sugar into the Powerade formula. Not that it matters anyway, now that this one is off the shelf for good.

Gold Medal

Have you ever heard of Powerade Gold Medal? Probably not. As the most enigmatic and mysterious Powerade flavor on this list, Gold Medal was a flavor introduced as a limited-time promotional beverage during the 2004 Olympic games in Athens. There is a commercial for the drink on YouTube, but unless you understand Greek, good luck deciphering what it says. Apparently, there was some kind of promotion where someone could win a trip to the Olympics too. Congratulations to whoever that was.

Details about its taste and ingredients are challenging to find online, though one source indicates that its flavor profile was a mix of grapefruit and lemon, a rather tart, but ultimately refreshing combination from the sound of it. That's about all there is to know about it frankly. Its extremely short run meant that even die-hard Powerade aficionados might never have even known about this beverage's existence.

It is a ghost of a drink indeed, which is unfortunate for Powerade fans who never got a chance to try it out. But at the very least, the gold bottle design is beautiful and distinctive. It's probably worth holding onto as a keepsake or piece of Olympic memorabilia if you're into that sort of thing.

Read the original article on Mashed.