Thursday, June 25, 2020

Pocari Sweat

Would you drink something called "Sweat"? 


In 1980, the Japanese company Otsuka Pharmaceutical launched a new beverage called Pocari Sweat.  "Pocari" has no meaning, it was chosen because of its cute sound.  "Sweat" was chosen for the purpose of replacing water and electrolytes lost by perspiring. It contains water, sugar, citric acid, flavoring and salt. I've known about it since first moving to Japan, but I haven't tried it. People say it has a grapefruity taste and is refreshing.  For native English speakers, a drink called sweat doesn't sound very appealing.  The sports drink, Pocari Sweat is sold across Asia, the Middle East, and Australia in bottles, cans, and powder form.



8 comments:

MargaretP said...

Very popular in Bali, all tourists are recommended to drink that or similar everyday with plenty of water. I found it tasted fine.

Janie said...

Who would've thought of that? It serves a good purpose, dehydration is something to avoid.

jacaranda said...

Haven't seen it sold here in Melbourne.

kiwikid said...

I have never heard of it, not that that means anything, not sure I would drink something called Sweat!

Vireya said...

I must admit I've never been tempted to try it!

Beatrice said...

I have tried it. Just like a regular soft drink, slightly less sweet if I remember well.
What about Calpis, another strangely named (to English speakers) Japanese soft drink? I tried that one while at an onsen. It was very refreshing!
Note: I tried "carrot cake" after putting it off for years (A cake, with vegetables?!). How I wish I had tried it before! It's now my go-to cake when I'm in the UK.

Queeniepatch said...

Because it is pronounced 'sweato' in Japanese, I never think of it as sweat.
BTW, have you read this story:
https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/two-core-businesses/stories/pocarisweat/

Leonore Winterer said...

I've heard about this before, but haven't tried it either. Not even sure I saw it anywhere!