Review: Untapped Ginger Mapleaid Liquid Drink Mix

(2022) We have said it before that ginger and maple syrup were possibly the first electrolyte replacement before it was a thing. Untapped, a maple syrup company started in 2015, has switched from powder to liquid mix in their two flavor offerings. We sent our product tester into the hot Pennsylvania farm country to see if he would come back. He did. And these are his notes:

Untapped started as a maple syrup company in Cochrane, Vermont, looking to pursue syrup as an athletic nutrition aid. At the time Untapped released their syrups to compete with gels, it was a refreshing restart to an industry that felt more manufactured than natural. Untapped syrup packets were fluttering out of jersey pockets prior to laundering. This was a change from the full gel packets that wound up getting discarded. Untapped made me want to take in calories where synthetic gels did not. When they released their drink mixes, it felt as if another area of nutrition had drastically improved.

No wonder Untapped would release Ginger Mapleaid Liquid Drink Mix. In former days, a concoction of ginger, sweetener (such as syrup or honey), water, juice mix, and apple cider vinegar was rumored to power American farmers. Call it haymaker or switchel, it contained everything needed to get back to hard efforts. Untapped continued that tradition by creating Ginger Mapleaid. 

Untapped Ginger Mapleaid Liquid Drink Mix comes in single-serve packs or twenty-serving bulk bottle.

Ginger Mapleaid in its powder form provided an intense zing from the ginger as well as a peppery pucker that actually saw us drinking faster. The mix also created a soft frothy mouthfeel that soothed the stomach and provided power. These were all the reasons to pursue drink mixes when out on hours-long rides. As with other Untapped products, the only problem was keeping the pantry stocked of the powder. Untapped has improved their boxes to ship twenty packs instead of sixteen.

Recently Untapped relaunched Ginger Mapleaid as a liquid drink mix while using the same convenient sticks for on-the-go access. This allows Untapped to use maple syrup instead of maple sugar For those who shied away from the intense flavor of the powder form, have another look. Untapped has rounded out the peppery sensation while keeping the ginger tingles as well as the soft frothy mouthfeel. Plus, at a scant 80 calories, this leaves room for other Untapped products to push that ride farther out. 

It was remarked that it looked like straight maple syrup was being poured into the water bottle.

During an early hot spell, the bottles were loaded up with Untapped and the bike was pointed into Bucks County farm country where there are few places to hide from the blazing summer sun. Being a naturally heavy sweater, this would be the test of the century. While the sun was singing unseasoned skin, the nutrition did its job. With a healthy dose of sodium carried within the sea salt ingredient, the ride - and rides that followed on even longer hot rides - were a success. Imagine handing over a couple of Ginger Mapleaid liquid drink mixes to the farmers who were doing early season fieldwork and the timelessness of offering switchel. As soon as the box showed up, it was cleared out. Imagine that. Sports nutrition whose biggest problem is going through it too quickly.

One question that lingered involved the bulk container. Untapped offers a Bulk Bottle plastic jug, complete with built-in serving bulb to get the ratio correct. For most people, this jug contains twenty servings. For me, it might last about a week. It contains natural ingredients, so the container must be refrigerated after opening. The downside to the plastic container is just that- the plastic. The amount of jugs that would find the way to the office could create a small pile over time; perhaps a recycling program where the bottles were refilled could be implemented.

Untapped has certainly improved on the ease of their Ginger Mapleaid Liquid Drink Mix. With the perfect ingredients to keep a ride going, ease of mixing, and the basic premise that I want to drink it, Untapped’s Ginger Mapleaid is the perfect addition to those longer days. But don’t be surprised if I offer you some off the bike.