Lucozade - The sparkling glucose drink.

Excitement, readers! There is finally a way to get glucose without a prescription! Lucozade!

Lucozade was originally formulated by English chemist William Owen, who was trying to "create a source of energy for those who were sick with common illnesses". So... sugar water. Lucozade is still around, but since 1952, has re-marketed itself as a "sports drink" to get away from the negative imagery of being "for sick people". One might say they have simply re-aimed their marketing at "gullible people". You can see the seeds of this truly clever idea in the imagery of this old ad. See the two happy, energetic people presumably having just played tennis? Sporty!

Interestingly, the Wikipedia page on Lucozade has a link to this Telegraph article about the bogusness of sports drinks, and how the sugar in them generally cancels out any benefit of exercise recently completed. Articles I've read in bicycling magazines always say the same thing: water is better and sports drinks are pointless. Additionally, a common thread in "sports drinks evaluation roundup" articles is this: Yes, elite athletes physically stressed to the very brink of exhaustion can possibly be dangerously short on glucose, but short of a marathon, your average person shuffling along a lakeshore path has never been - nor are they likely to ever be - in such a state.

But never mind that. Clip art time! You're going to need the right recovery drink after right clicking the hell out of this sporty picture of two people having recently played a spot of tennis. You're welcome!

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