Moxie

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Moxie Soda
Monarch-era Moxie can
Type Soft drink
Manufacturer Cornucopia Beverages, Inc.
Country of origin United States
Introduced 1876
Color Caramel
Variants Diet Moxie

Moxie is a carbonated beverage which was among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States, and is regionally popular to this day.

Contents

[edit] History

Around 1876 Augustin Thompson, a medical doctor, developed a formula for an elixir which he called "Moxie Nerve Food", claiming that it was a treatment for almost anything. After a few years, Thompson added soda water to the formula and changed the name to "Beverage Moxie Nerve Food". By 1884 he was selling Moxie both in bottles and in bulk as a soda fountain syrup, marketing it as "... a delicious blend of bitter and sweet, a drink to satisfy everyone's taste."[1]

Moxie Facts from The Marietta Soda Museum In the early phase of its life as a recreational soft drink, Moxie is said to have been kept handy by bartenders to give to customers who were too drunk to be given any more alcohol. This story may be apocryphal, however, considering Moxie's noted aftertaste, which many people find unpleasantly strong. The popularity of Moxie produced popular advertising jingles, such as “Just Make It Moxie for Mine”, and President Calvin Coolidge was known to have favored the drink. Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams endorsed Moxie. Author E.B. White, an adopted Mainer and noted Moxie fan, once wrote “Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life.”[2]

The original Moxie logo on the label of a newer derivative product

Falling out of favor due to competition from Coca Cola, demand for Moxie has waned in recent years, although demand still exists in New England. It was designated on May 10, 2005, as the official state soft drink of Maine.[3]

One of the key ingredients of Moxie is “Gentian Root Extractives”, which probably contributes noticeably to its unique flavor.[4]

Many people, even those who do not like the soda on its own, find it refreshing when mixed with whiskey.[5]

Every summer, all things Moxie are celebrated at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls, Maine.

Moxie is also available in a sugar-free version known as Diet Moxie, introduced in 1962.

Moxie is currently owned by Cornucopia Beverages Inc. of Bedford, New Hampshire, which is owned by Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England Incorporated, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd.[6]

Cornucopia cites fielding requests for more Moxie from fans across the country in their decision to step up efforts to distribute the product. In 2007 they launched pilot sales in Florida and organized a sampling event at Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The Catawissa Bottling Company in Catawissa, Pennsylvania is one of the six remaining bottlers in the United States producing Moxie, and has produced Moxie since 1945.[5]

Moxie was previously marketed with the so-called "Moxie Man" logo. In 2008, Cornucopia unveiled a new logo[7], much to the chagrin of some fans[8].

A 12-ounce bottled version of Moxie Original Elixir is distributed to specialty grocers by Real Soda in Real Bottles Ltd. based in Gardena, California. There is also a Moxie Energy Drink, although it does not appear on Cornucopia's products page.

[edit] In common language

Search Wiktionary Look up moxie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

"Moxie" means "guts" or "courage," that is to say "intestinal fortitude" and "overtness" as in, "He's got moxie!" "Moxie" has come to mean "energy" or "pep" in common usage, and is included in standard dictionaries.[9]

[edit] Origin of the name

The origin of the name Moxie is unclear, but two possible theories lend insight to the question. The name is most likely a Native American word meaning either "wintergreen" (one of the drink's ingredients) or "black water" (thought to be the reasoning for Moxie Falls, Moxie Bog, etc.) It is also possible the word is related to moxa, a type of mugwort burned to relieve various ailments and increase energy as used in East Asian medicine, and in turn would come from the Japanese word for the herb mogusa.

The use of the word moxie to mean spunk or chutzpah comes from the phrase, "you've got moxie", which is trademarked by the company[citation needed].

[edit] References

  • The Book of Moxie by Frank Potter
  • The Moxie Encyclopedia by Q. David Bowers
  1. ^ Anne Cooper Funderburg (2001), Sundae best: a history of soda fountains, Popular Press, pp. 67-68], ISBN 9780879728540, http://books.google.com/books?id=Wr_yPYvkNWwC .
  2. ^ , written at Harvard-Radcliffe"Make Mine Moxie", Perspective (Cambridge, Massachusetts), November, 2001, http://www.digitas.harvard.edu/~perspy/old/issues/2001/nov/backpage.html, retrieved on October 9, 2007 
  3. ^ Moxie becomes state soft drink of Maine. 
  4. ^ "Moxie For Mine: More About Moxie the Drink"
  5. ^ a b Abelson, Jenn (August 5, 2007), "Can a bitter taste find sweet life again? Unique N.E. soda Moxie thirsting for a revival", The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/08/05/can_a_bitter_taste_find_sweet_life_again/, retrieved on 2007-08-15 
  6. ^ Paiste, Denis (2007-04-06). "Moxie, same taste, new owner" (reprint). New Hampshire Union Leader (Union Leader Corporation): p. B3. http://newenglandpride.blogspot.com/2007/04/cornucopia-beverages-acquires-moxie.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-25. "Cornucopia Beverages, a unit of Bedford-based Coca-Cola Co. of Northern New England Inc., has acquired the Moxie brand from Atlanta-based Monarch Beverage Co. Terms were undisclosed. Cornucopia previously bottled Moxie under license from Monarch. "There's really nothing to compare it to. It's not a cola, and it's not a root beer; it's its own little niche," Moxie brand manager Justin Conroy said in a telephone interview. Conroy said no immediate changes are planned as a result of the brand purchase. Last year, the Moxie brand sold about 450,000 192-ounce cases, equivalent to 7.2 million 12-ounce cans. The drink is bottled in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Catawissa, Pennsylvania. Conroy said 75 percent of production ships from Londonderry. Tracing its roots to Maine-born Dr. Augustin Thompson, Moxie was first marketed as a carbonated soft drink in 1884. Today, the soft drink is available in regular, diet and energy drink versions. It is Maine's official state soft drink. The Moxie page on the Monarch Beverage Co. Web site states that Moxie was first marketed in 1876 as a medicine. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England Inc. is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd. The firm bottles Coca-Cola brands under authority of the Coca-Cola company and also has license rights for Cadbury Schweppes brands, Dr. Pepper, Sunkist and Canada Dry." 
  7. ^ 2008 Moxie logo
  8. ^ Bring Back the Moxie Man!
  9. ^ moxie - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie"
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