Oxcholate: A drink for ‘invalids and cyclists’

Today's cyclists can choose from a seemingly endless range of complex energy drinks, tablets, bars and gels, but in the 1890s the recipes were altogether more simple. Confectioners at Rowntrees in the late nineteenth century believed that Oxcholate, a blend of meat and chocolate, would have a nutritious and restorative effect on ‘invalids and cyclists’.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the recipe failed to inspire its target audience and was available for a matter of weeks before being withdrawn from sale.

Unusual products like Oxcholate were possible only because confectioners had yet to discover the merits of conducting market market research and focus groups before launching a new recipe, instead relying on the whim of the company owners. The result was that unsuccessful products might be on sale for only a few weeks before being taken off the shelves for good.

DIY Oxcholate

Oxcholate was a blend of dark chocolate powder and Bovril, the thick, salty beef extract that had been developed twenty years earlier in the 1870s. Very little information about Oxcholate survives so we decided to try and recreate the recipe as best we could. Using Green & Blacks chocolate powder and Bovril at a ratio of 4:1, we added hot water and stirred to taste.

Suffice to say the resulting concoction is an acquired taste. What's your secret recipe for cycling food and drink? Post a comment and let us know.

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