I covered these new chain-exclusive Gatorade flavors in my very first article for Sporked, so it’s only fitting that I finally got my hands on them for a review. Even after last year’s Gatorade Mystery Flavor turned out to be the underwhelming “Blackberry Raspberry,” I’ve still got high hopes for these two new Gatorade flavors. Did they succeed? Read on for our review of new Gatorade Midnight Ice and Gatorade Lightning Blast.
- Gatorade Midnight Ice
-
You can only find 20oz bottles of Gatorade Midnight Ice at 7-Eleven—along with their subsidiary brands Speedway and Stripes. (Though, eight-packs of 20oz bottles will be available at Walmart starting in September.) This new Gatorade is almost completely pitch black (not to be confused with Mtn Dew Pitch Black). It’s legitimately the darkest drink I’ve ever had that didn’t include some form of charcoal.
Pros: It’s certainly grape-ish! I really hope PepsiCo eventually reveals the intended flavor profile for this new Gatorade, because it’s definitely grape and something. I offered tastes to multiple other people, none of whom agreed on a real, specific flavor. All we know is that it’s grape adjacent.
Cons: I don’t know about the “ice” part, but this drink made me as tired as midnight. I’m not sure how this flavor is simultaneously overbearing and bland, but it truly overwhelmed me at first sip only to immediately fade into nothingness. One of my taste testers said the flavor was like drinking water out of an empty Grape Gatorade bottle. Unfortunately, that’s a dead-on assessment I have to cosign.
Credit: Liv Averett / Pepsico
- Gatorade Lightning Blast
-
Much like my all-time favorite Gatorade (Glacier Cherry, accept no substitutes), this new Gatorade flavor is a cloudy white color that gives you absolutely no hints as to the flavor inside. Gatorade Lightning Blast can only be found at Circle K—if you’re lucky. Despite checking my nearest location multiple times post-release date, it took checking at Circle K stores four hours away from home in downtown Chicago for me to find this flavor in the wild.
Pros: I don’t know exactly what this tastes like, but it’s so good, y’all. It tastes similar to a couple Japanese hydration drinks I’ve had before, so I’m wondering if the flavor scientists had some international inspiration in the flavor lab. Seriously, it’s some sort of melon-citrus-yogurt combination that I can’t compare to any other Gatorade I’ve had before. (I’m not kidding about yogurt either—soju fans will know that yogurt is a flavor worth looking into.)
Cons: My main con is that this is a limited time flavor. We have seven different blue-flavored Gatorades but this one has to go away in a few months? I’m starting a petition; give this flavor a better name like Glacier Melon or Mystic Magic (wait, that’s taken) and sell it forever. I’ll make the road trip again if that’s what it takes, I swear.
Credit: Liv Averett / Pepsico
New Gatorade Flavor!
New Gatorade Flavor!
Social Media