Moxie is a brand of carbonated beverage that is among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was created around 1876 by Augustin Thompson as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food" and was produced in Lowell, Massachusetts.[2] It has been described as having "a bitter aftertaste that some say is similar to root beer."[3] It is flavored with gentian root extract, an extremely bitter substance commonly used in herbal medicine.
Moxie was designated the official soft drink of Maine on May 10, 2005.[4] It continues to be regionally popular today, particularly in New England states.[5] It was previously produced by the Moxie Beverage Company of Bedford, New Hampshire, until Moxie was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company in 2018.[6]
The beverage name is source of the word "moxie" in the American English vernacular, a noun meaning energy, determination, and spunk.[7]
History
Moxie originated around 1876 as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food", by Augustin Thompson in Lowell, Massachusetts.[2] Thompson claimed that it contained an extract from a rare, unnamed South American plant, which is now known to be gentian root.[8][9] Moxie, he claimed, was especially effective against "paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia".
Thompson claimed that he named the beverage after a Lieutenant Moxie,[10] a purported friend of his,[11] who he claimed had discovered the plant and used it as a panacea, and the company he created continued to promulgate legendary stories about the word's origin. In Maine, where Thompson was born and raised, the word moxie, apparently of
Advertising
Moxie advertising in the 19th and early 20th centuries emphasized Moxie as a health drink and "nerve food".
In its advertising, Moxie used "Make Mine Moxie!" jingles, the slogan "Just Make It Moxie for Mine", and a "Moxie Man" logo. The Moxie Man has appeared on labels in some form since 1906, and the image of a man pointing forward most associated with the brand was first introduced in 1911. The identity of the "Moxie Man", or "Moxie Boy" as he was called in the 1920s, was apparently not known at that time, with a 1922 ad in the Boston Herald by F. M. Archer proclaiming "in almost every town and city in the United States there is someone who believes they know the original of the Moxie Boy. In view of the many thousands of different opinions on this subject, we may offer a prize to the person who picks the actual boy, furnishing us photographic proofs, etc...the Moxie Boy, now a man (and some man at that), who posed for this picture many, many years ago, in fact before some of the readers of this article were born."[28] For many years the urban legend was that Archer himself was Moxie's mascot, but he would have been about 50 at its introduction in 1911, disproving this theory.[29] In recent years a historical group, The Moxie Congress, was able to ascertain that the man was likely a model for the lithographers printing these advertisements, and with some confidence it is posited that the "Moxie Boy" was one John T. Chamberlain of Revere, Massachusetts.[29]
Derivative products
There is a Moxie Energy Drink and a variety of Olde New England Seltzers. The energy drink is citrus-based; it lacks Moxie's gentian root flavor, caramel color, and (as of 2008) its distinctive branding; similarly, the waters are simply carbonated waters with fruit flavors marketed under the Moxie brand.
Moxie ice cream is seasonally available in Maine in limited quantities[31] and is mild in flavor as compared to the soft drink.
Moxie has been used as a cooking additive by chefs for its herbaceous, savory-sweet flavor profile. It is generally used in reductions as a glaze for meats such as lamb, as well as in baked beans.[32]
"Moxie" as a slang term
Moxie was early advertised as "nerve food" which would "strengthen the nervous system" and was "very healthful" and a "drink for athletes" which "strengthens and invigorates". The term "moxie", which derives from the drink name, has the approximate meaning of "energy, determination, spunk, daring courage, nerve, spirit, guts". This term was extant from about the 1930s and has continued in use, to some extent, into the early 21st century,[33] as in "This kid's got moxie!"
See also
External links
- Official Website
- Moxie facts
- "Make Mine a Moxie!" – Maine Farmhouse Journal, July 6–10, 2000
- https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2018/08/28/coca-cola-acquires-beloved-maine-soda-moxie/8EWByZiHnZwIp1qT4ik45M/story.html
References
- Moxie - Official Site: Privacy Policy Moxie Beverage Company, June 23, 2011^
- Moxie Lowell.com^
- Danielle Waugh. Maine Split on Coca-Cola's Acquisition of Moxie NBC10 Boston, August 29, 2018, retrieved January 26, 2019^