THIRST ADES SPORTS DRINKS CAN'T PICK YOU UP IF YOU CAN'T GET THEM DOWN: A TASTE TEST - The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY)

Let's talk sweat replacement. For most of us, tap or bottledwater rehydrates the body adequately and costs far less than anysports drink.

So the most important consideration in choosing a particularsports drink is not its carbohydrate source and sodium level, orits team endorsements or slick packaging. On the playing field ofsports beverages, taste is paramount.

If your current drink has you wondering from which nuclearplant it flowed, it is time to shop around. It's simple: The betterthe flavor, the more you will drink.

So we tasted every brand and flavor we could find fromsupermarkets and health-food stores -- a mission akin to, if notquite the equal of, cruel and unusual punishment. Salty Kool-Aidoften came to mind. And now and again we wondered as we sipped whydedicated athletes -- health nuts, right? -- would happily consumeso much artificial coloring.

But if you feel they work for you, here are our flavor findings:

All Sport Body Quencher: Pepsi wants you to know that its'body-quenching' All Sport has 33 percent more carbohydrates thanGatorade (most sports drinks do). Of all drinks sampled, only AllSport is slightly fizzy. No losers here: Orange, Fruit Punch, Grapeand Lemon-Lime have adequate fruit flavor and a clean finish.

Carbo Force: The 'power tools' made by American Body BuildingProducts have a dozen different names and formulas. But its CarboForce falls best into our lineup. We'll pass on Lemon-Lime. FruitPunch is a peach color instead of bright red -- we like that -- andthe flavor is right (it may be good with vodka). Of all orangeflavors tested, this has the most appeal.

Cytomax: Champion Nutrition wants you to 'beat the burn' withCytomax, a powder you mix with water, popular with bicycle racers.Tangy Orange reminds us of a watery version of Tang -- but theflavor fades quickly. Tropical Fruit is moderately sweet with alight cherry taste. Our favorite is Apple. It's pleasant and notoverly sugary.

Gatorade: The King of Sports Drinks, endorsed by the NFL, NBA,NHL, NASCAR and Major League Baseball, does not taste like 'oldsweat socks,' as so many have written. Fruit Punch reminds us ofHawaiian Punch diluted with water. Watermelon may be an acquiredtaste. But Lemon Ice is a refreshing, light lemonade with nounpleasant aftertaste. Citrus Cooler has a ripe-tangerine tang.

Powerade: The official sports drink of the Olympic Games is aCoca-Cola product with 'gulpability.' Fruit Punch is a dead ringerfor cherry cough drops. Orange and Lemon-Lime are watery withlittle fruit flavor. Grape is pleasant. Our favorite is blueMountain Blast. It's berry nice.

Powerzone: Ever hear of Km made by Matol? No Marin County,Calif., kitchen would be without a bottle of this New Age elixir of14 botanicals, used daily by believers as a 'balancer.' Matol'ssports drink, called Powerzone, is a powder that comes in just oneflavor, Fruit Punch. It's sweet and has a pleasant mixed-fruittaste. (Not sold in stores: Check the Yellow Pages under Health andDiet Food Products for a distributor near you.)

Recharge: Fruit-juice bottler R.W. Knudsen's 'thirst quencher'Recharge has 45 to 47 percent real fruit juice and no added sugar,preservatives, artificial color or flavoring -- the all-naturalniche. Lemon has a good citrus smell but tastes like lemons beyondtheir prime. Orange is no better. Tropical is the best of the trio,with a light mix of berries. All three have a salty aftertaste.

Ultra Fuel: Twinlab's carbo boosts come ready to drink, inglass bottles and in powder form. But the thick-on-the-tonguebottled drinks are far different taste-wise from their powderedbrothers. In bottles: Avoid Grape, which smells like motor oil, andOrange, which reeks of medicine. Lemon-Lime is fine. Fruit Punchsmells medicinal but delivers good fruit flavor. Powders: We likedthem all. All four flavors have a nice light, true-fruit taste.