As we continue to celebrate Maine’s 200th anniversary, today I’m sharing fun facts about our official soft drink, Moxie! Created by Mainer, Dr. Augustin Thompson in 1876, this bitter drink was originally marketed as patent medicine called “Moxie Nerve Food.” Thompson wasn’t too far from the truth there. The main ingredient of Moxie, gentian root extract, continues to be used in herbal medicines today. According to Thompson, his syrup was especially effective against “paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia.” A few years later, he added soda water to the syrup, thus making it the sweet drink with the bitter aftertaste, enjoyed today.
Well enjoyed by some. For those who never tasted Moxie, let’s just say you either love it or you hate it. However, luckily for Thompson, enough people loved it that by 1884 he was selling “Beverage Moxie Nerve Food” in bottles and at soda fountains across New England. Fans of the bitter beverage included President Calvin Coolidge, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, and Maine author of Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White. In fact White went as far as to claim, “Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life.” Even cartoon characters couldn’t resist the unique taste, as evident in Alfred E. Neuman’s “Mad About Moxie” campaign in Mad magazine.
Today Moxie is manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. At the moment this regional favorite is difficult to find due to limited production during the pandemic. However, just like the annual Moxie Festival plans to return to Lisbon, Maine in 2021, so will this “distinctively different” drink return to store shelves. To learn more about all things Moxie, and yes surprisingly this drink does have quite a following that there is indeed more to know, we recommend David Q. Bowers, The Moxie Encyclopedia (1985).
