The Runner’s Margarita has been a long time coming. I’ve been pondering it awhile, but it was only last weekend that I finally sprang for the full bottle of tequila I required for my experiment.
A classic margarita, made from scratch, is very simple. You only really NEED three ingredients: tequila, lime juice, and an orange liqueur like triple sec or Grand Marnier. I make a pretty decent margarita and paloma if I do say so myself.
Of course the problem with margaritas is that they contain alcohol(!), which is dehydrating, not to mention a bit sugary depending on the recipe. Not ideal for a runner.
But you know what else comes in lemon-lime and orange flavors and is ideal for runners? That’s right, Gatorade! Not just Gatorade, either, but Gatorade Zero, the sugar-free version. I regularly imbibe a Zero the night before a run, which got me to wondering: could I make a margarita out of the electrolyte-laden beverage?
Think about it: the pleasant bite of tequila plus the hydration powers of Gatorade. If it worked, it could be the ultimate runner’s drinking hack, a means of dehydrating while rehydrating that would, theoretically, make it like you never drank at all! Right? Right?
Time to find out!
I did it all proper-like, too. I poured two shots of lemon-lime Gatorade, one of orange Gatorade, and one of tequila, into a shaker with ice and shook to combine. Then I poured my new invention into my Trowel & Trellis jar cup from last May’s trip.
Then, the ultimate test: drinking it. Sure, it might be full of ade-y goodness, but is it good?
No.
No, it is not good.
Do not make this. It’s gross. The Gatorade flavors combine to somehow cancel each other out, probably because you can’t really smell either over the tequila. You’re left with the taste of tequila and sugar water. I drank like an eighth of it and then threw it out. Swing and a miss.
But hey, anything this side of life’s worth trying. I guess I’m going to have to keep monitoring my alcohol intake pre-run like a regular human for now. Or I guess just take shots? 🤪
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Thanks for testing this and taking one for the team! 😉 I drink nuun and have seen people make nuun cocktails. I did add some nuun electrolytes to sparkling wine once to do a sort of mimosa and that wasn’t too bad – maybe more experiments are in order!
Oh, that’s interesting! Maybe the problem is that Gatorade Zero isn’t that good. 😂