Indeed, this is true: GHOST delivers far more than just energy beverages. Much like several of today’s competing energy-drink labels, GHOST began its journey in the functional supplement niche. Although the company continues to produce supplements, the energy-drink division quickly overtook its origins in that space. It seems GHOST is aiming to coax its huge energy-drink audience back into the realm of functional products by employing tactics that have yielded explosive results for the energy line.
Strategy #1? Licensed, nostalgia-driven flavors. Classics like Welch’s Grape and Swedish Fish delivered remarkable results for GHOST’s energy-drink business. (There was a period when GHOST also offered nostalgic and licensed protein shakes, such as Cereal Milk and Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookie; that subline was discontinued for reasons not disclosed.) Today, I’m sampling the first flavor from GHOST’s new protein-drink subline: Yoo-hoo Chocolate… Drink. It’s fitting that the new protein line is described as a drink rather than a shake or milk, since the flavor’s iconic source is a beverage as well. Let’s find out whether this familiar chocolate profile can deliver an extra bulking edge.
- GHOST Yoo-hoo Chocolate Protein Drink Review
-
Pros: GHOST has absolutely captured the Yoo-hoo concept with this lactose-free, ultrafiltered skim-milk–based beverage. Yoo-hoo is such a natural pick for a protein-drink collaboration; I’m surprised it took this long for someone to license the idea.
The blend of artificial sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame potassium) plus 2 grams of natural sugar provides the sweetness you’d expect from a chilled bottle of the original. All the other 25-gram protein drinks should watch their backs; GHOST looks to have a clear winner on their hands here.
Cons: The artificial sweeteners do carry a noticeable aftertaste. If such a thing exists, this is what Diet Yoo-hoo would taste like. I’ve been drinking the original Yoo-hoo for, conservatively, my entire life. This protein drink lands on the tongue as a distinctly artificial iteration of classic Yoo-hoo… which, of course, it is.
Verdict: And there’s good reason for that! A 12-ounce can of Yoo-hoo clocks in with 36 grams of sugar; this protein-enriched version contains only 2 grams of sugar. For someone focused on a gym-friendly diet, there’s basically no room left for the original Yoo-hoo, and this option would absolutely satisfy cravings when nothing else is available.
