Success in the 1990s

The cult sports drink from Lungau is back

Doctor Dietmar Rösler and employee Sabrina Pertl are convinced that Mega Basic will be a success.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

The Lungau drink Mega Basic was the fuel of many top athletes in the 1990s - until it suddenly disappeared. 20 years later, people believe in the drink powder again.

Sports stars of the 1990s drank it, soccer idol Heimo Pfeifenberger advertised it. Even an episode of the crime series Kommisar Rex revolved around the sports energy drink from Lungau. We are talking about Mega Basic - a cult drink among top athletes and hobby athletes more than 20 years ago. Shortly before the turn of the millennium, Mega Basic disappeared. Now the sports drink is back.

Dietmar Rösler, the man behind the return of the drink: "In a time before online stores, Mega Basic couldn't conquer the German market. That was the sticking point." So far, it has only been sold online.

Alkalizing effect should be the trump card
Sports physician Rösler is convinced that the soluble powder is the best on the market. More than 25 years ago, inventor Norbert Fuchs tinkered with the drink in a garage in Lungau. Mega Basic has always had something that its competitors do not: It is mixed with alkaline ingredients. This means that it has an excellent effect against muscle acidification, which is particularly important for endurance athletes.

Today, as then, production takes place in Lungau. Rösler got Fuchs' blessing and started up again in 2021. With the formula virtually unchanged, both firmly believe that athletes are still better off with Mega Basic today. The initial feedback from top athletes proves them right.