Moxie: The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of Moxie Soda

Moxy is a rather unique soda, as its flavor has made it not only famous but also hated—a lot like the opinions of Big Red. Either you love it or you hate it.

From Patent Medicine to Pop Culture Phenomenon

Moxie is older than most soda companies, even older than Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper, so we have a lot of history here. Moxie originated as a patent medicine called Moxie Nerve Food, which was created around 1876 by Dr. Augustine Thompson in Lowell, Massachusetts. Thompson claimed that it contained an extract from a rare unnamed South American plant, which had supposedly been discovered by a friend of his, Lieutenant Moxie, who had used it as an elixir. Moxie, he claimed, was especially effective against anything from nervousness to insomnia.

After a few years, Thompson added soda water to the formula and changed the product's name to Beverage Moxie Nerve Food by 1884. He was then selling Moxie both in bottles and in bulk as a soda fountain syrup, marketing it as a delicious blend of bitter and sweet that could satisfy everyone's taste.

How a Massachusetts-Born Soda Outpaced Coca-Cola—Then Fell Behind

Up until 1920, Moxie was actually outselling the big Coca-Cola, but by the 1930s, the brand was starting to decline in sales. This decline is thought to have been caused by the company's decision to expand sugar reserves at the expense of its popular advertising campaign a few years after the Great Depression.

Moxie was split into two companies: the Moxie Company with Effie Thomas, the inventor's son, as president, and Frank Archer serving as vice president. The Moxie Company retained bottling rights in New England. The other half of the company was Moxie Company of America, with Frank Archer serving as president of this organization, which had the right to distribute Moxie across the entire nation except in New England.

Sugar-free Diet Moxie was introduced in 1962—around the same time that Mad Magazine began placing the Moxie logo in the background of its articles to increase public awareness of the brand. As a result of Mad Magazine's efforts, sales of the soft drink increased by 10%, leading to the "Mad about Moxie" campaign.

The Moxie brand was purchased in 1966 by the Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta. In 1968, Moxie decided to change its formula in an attempt to boost sales. This reintroduction featured a new, sweeter taste and a redesigned bottle with a flower child on the label. However, Moxie almost overnight lost almost half of its customers. Moxie then reverted to its old-fashioned formula and label, with advertisements featuring Ted Williams, briefly trying to bring back fans. Many people speculate that Coca-Cola took this strategy when Coca-Cola changed its flavor to New Coke in 1985.

Moxie’s Unique Flavor

Like most products, there are bound to be famous people who enjoy the drink. The 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, was known to love the drink, and Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams endorsed it on the radio and in print. The company also marketed a beverage called "Ted's Root Beer" in the early 60s, based on the Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams. E.B. White once claimed that Moxie contains gentian root, which is a part of the good life.

White was right, as one of the ingredients of Moxie is gentian root, which may contribute to the drink's unique flavor.

Celebrating Moxie: Festivals, Museums, and Pop Culture

Demand for Moxie has waned in recent years, although the brand persists in New England and Pennsylvania. Moxie is also well-known in pop culture, particularly in the video game franchise Borderlands, where there's a character named Mad Moxxi who runs a bar and a coliseum-like arena called Mad Moxxi's Underdome. Moxie is mentioned in the independent film "Man with a Plan" and in the movie "Small Apartments." There's even a Moxie Museum in Union, Maine, which houses a 30-foot-tall wooden Moxie bottle once used as a soda stand, along with other historical Moxie artifacts. Every summer, all things Moxie are celebrated at the Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls, Maine.

Love It or Hate It: The Taste of Moxie

Patrick and his friends from Soda Tasting tried this unique-flavored soda, providing their reviews and appreciation. Patrick O'Keefe mentioned, "Moxie has the distinction of being described as both 'a great tasting soda' and 'an acquired taste.' However you describe it, one thing is for sure: it takes a special kind of moxie to try it for the first time and to love it forever."

Live your life with Moxie! Buy some today. Gently swirl the soda bottle to release some carbonation. The first taste: "You know, it smells like cola a little bit but then something else spikes, maybe that root extract," said Patrick. "It's kind of like aftertaste, during taste, and lingering taste."

Another reviewer noted, "It's like Cola and root beer had a very ugly baby. There's a strong licorice taste. It's pretty tough. I can't imagine drinking this again." Many others had mixed opinions, with one emphasizing, "You either like this soda or you don't. It's like Big Red—polarizing."

Moxie—not just an old, ordinary soda, but one with a unique history and flavor profile. Go out there and try the Moxie soda—whether you love it or hate it, you'll know you've tasted something different and historic.