About 20 years ago, I switched to doing Hammer Nutrition style liquid fueling. At first, I experimented with their fuels. I have a low tolerance for unnecessary expenditures so I started making my own. My recipe for powdered fuel is 7 parts plain maltodextrin, 1 part chocolate flavored whey protein, by weight not volume. I buy my malto in 50# bags from a homebrew supply house and use my current favorite for the whey protein, which I buy in 5 lb. containers. Of course flavors other than chocolate work fine, and these substances are easily available in smaller sizes.
Two cups of powder mix is about 750 calories and is the max strength I use for a 24 oz. bike bottle. For me, that's about 50 miles, which is a good distance between pee and water stops. For long rides, I carry extra powder in ziploc bags. For longer rides, I supplement this drink with ordinary whatever at mini-marts, etc. Hostess fruit pies are a fave.
I take a sip about every 15 minutes and just keep it coming, the slow drip effect. It's not sweet, very mild tasting, and doesn't tire my mouth. For electrolytes, I use Endurolyte caps rather than mixing something into my drink. For long rides, I carry one liter bottle with 750 calories of drink and either another liter of plain water or a Camelbak.
I switched to this system because nothing else works even vaguely as well.
__________________
Results matter