Moxie is an American beverage with a rich history stretching back to the birth of the soft drink, with a totally unique flavor that will either instantly hook you or make you feel queasy every time you think of it. In its heyday, Moxie was more popular than Coca-Cola, but is now found only in parts of new England, chiefly the state of Maine. However, boutique distributors and online sales mean you can order a case of Moxie anywhere in the world and bask in its deliciousness or rapidly induce vomiting. There has never been a more appropriate time to discuss this iconic (?) American soda on a videogame message board.
Moxie was developed in Lowell, Massachusetts around 1876 by Maine-born physician, Dr. Augustin Thompson. Coca-Cola did not show up for another ten years. (Hires Root Beer slightly predates Moxie to hold the title of the oldest continuously produced soft drink in the US. The dates these things officially started are hotly debated by the kind of people who hotly debate soda trivia. My older brother is one and it is insufferable. I say that as someone writing 1000 words about one soda on a message board, just to give you an idea of how tedious it gets.) Like the better known cola, Moxie was originally sold as a patent medicine. Medicinal uses included curing "paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia”. Every time I drink one, my brain feels a little firmer, so this is all true. Unlike Coca-Cola, Moxie did not originally contain actual cocaine, so it was not marketed as a cure for heroin addiction (an actual suggested use of the patent medicine Coca-Cola. The idea of using cocaine to treat morphine addiction was actually Sigmund Freud’s initial claim to fame, long before he developed psychoanalysis and told you that you have a thing for your mom).
The chief appeal of Moxie is its distinctive “bitter,” “less sweet,” “medicinal,” “herbal,” or “hateful” flavor. There are plenty of people who will take a Pepsi if offered, but don’t really have strong feelings about the flavor. Moxie is not like this. People love it or despise it
I will note in passing that while I love Moxie, Diet Moxie tastes like someone threw up a stomachful of batteries. Not recommended.
Disgusting.
So what does Moxie taste like? The only way to find out is to drink some. It is pretty distinctive. Moxie’s closest cousins are root beers, especially traditional root beers made with natural flavors. Sarsaparilla or birch beer are also related in that they have somewhat herbal, medicinal flavors. Although Moxie contains plenty of sugar, drinkers invariably note that it is far less sweet-tasting than Coke or Pepsi. Moxie’s secret ingredient is “gentian root extractives,” responsible for the bitter, herbal flavor (and anti-brain softening powers), and also found in Angostura bitters (you can sort of approximate Moxie by adding a generous dose of bitters to a Coke. Emphasis on “sort of”
. Author EB White famously remarked that, “Moxie contains gentian root which is the key to the good life.” I have no clue what the fuck that means, but it is intuitively correct. If you are going to have a good life, you know there will be roots involved.Yum.
One might assume the soda is named for the American phrase, “to have a lot of moxie,” meaning one has “vim, vigor, stamina, and just plain ‘guts’." However, the etymology actually goes the other way - the name of he beverage was adapted as a popular expression for vim, vigor, etc. It’s a mark of how obscure Moxie has become that the decidedly old-timey expression, “you’ve got moxie, kid!” is far better known than the product it is derived from.
During the Great Depression, Moxie actually enjoyed greater popularity than Coca-Cola - a beverage so indispensable in American life that it is part of the FAA-mandated equipment of our commercial aircraft. It is strange to think that global juggernaut Coca-Cola once spent considerable time trying to gain market share against the now little-known Moxie. The fact that Moxie is decidedly a Yankee beverage had to sting in Atlanta. Sorry for burning down your city during Gone With the Wind.
Oh, Ashley! Why are you drinking that infernal Yankee Moxie soda?
The decline of the Moxie brand on the national stage began in the 1930s. A price increase, fiddling with the formula (a move that would later trip up Coca-Cola), and a wartime decision to spend funds on cane sugar instead of national advertising, all damaged the Moxie brand. Coke replaced cane sugar with cheaper corn syrup and passed the savings along to…well, advertisers, actually. The only downside was an obesity epidemic sweeping the nation by the close of the century. HFCS either has nothing or everything to do with this, depending on which crazy people you listen to.
Moxie enjoyed a brief, minor, resurgence of popularity in the 1960s when Mad Magazine began inserting Moxie advertisements into the backgrounds of their comics. I’ve read both that Moxie paid for the product placement, which seems an odd choice, and that it was a random choice by Mad’s “usual gang of idiots” (as the writers and artists called themselves). As with several of the key points in Moxie history, it’s not entirely clear which version is correct.
Moxie was saved from being quietly discontinued in the 1980s as the small town of Lisbon, Maine began an annual Moxie festival. Moxie went on to be named the official state beverage of Maine in 2005, replacing the previous state beverage, made from carbonated lobster. It is noted that Monarch Beverage Co., who owned the rights to Moxie at the time, was “mildly amused.” There is a historic trend of the Moxie owners being resistant to anyone popularizing the brand. Moxie was sold to current owners Cornucopia Beverages in 2007. Cornucopia is owned by Kirin Beverages, who are part of the Mitsubishi family, meaning that Maine’s official state beverage is now technically Japanese. Okay, so it’s not really, but this is the kind of shit that makes Donald Trump’s blood boil.
In the Moxie soda family.
Moxie’s chief champion in the 2010s has been former Daily Show contributor, author, and PC from those Apple ads, John Hodgman. Here’s Hodgman name-dropping Moxie on national television and getting an imporbably boisterous round of applause. Other notable Moxie drinkers include Boston Red Sock Ted Williams and forgettable US president Calvin Coolidge.
Moxie is available in cans, glass bottles, and 2-liter bottles, and you can find a formulation made with real sugar. It’s easy to find in Maine and I’ve found it as far South as Connecticut and Manhattan. Some Moxie is produced on the West Coast for distribution to smaller specialty shops. I know of a distributor near Chicago and there are currently a stunning two locations to purchase Moxie is my current home of Indianapolis. Good luck finding it, though. I’m in a weird competition with some other displaced Mainer to buy up the limited supply when it shows up every few weeks.
Moxie can be ordered directly from the company for shipment around the world. The main consideration is that water is quite dense, so shipping costs for 12 packs are steep. When all the costs are combined, expect to pay about $2 per can. Better deals can sometimes be found from ebay resellers.
The chain Rocketfizz sells Moxie in bottles at their stores across the US.
Moxie, surprisingly, has a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. They’ll post weird Moxie recipes and quotes from deranged people like me who are obsessed with soda from Maine.
Actual Facebook post.
As a final piece of trivia there are Moxie-based cocktails. The most popular is the “Mad Mailman,” comprised of Moxie and Jagermeister. Curiously, some people who find both of those things repellant find he combination tasty. Jagermeister is another weird flavor, so this all makes perfect sense.
I know there are a few wayward Moxie fans lurking GAF!
