Mocking Moxie | Despite the legendary drink's Maine connections, the stuff still tastes awful
There are a few things that people from away find curious about Maine. One of them is the “soft drink” known as Moxie and its connection to Maine.
According to experts, the closest thing to soft drinks in the 1800s, when Moxie first appeared, was something called, believe it or not, “impregnated water,” a corked bottle of carbonated water that was prepared and peddled in various locations as a “health tonic.” Moxie was the first mass-marketed soft drink in our country, arriving on the scene long before Coca-Cola or Pepsi.
One Moxie story claims that after the Civil War, a Lieutenant Moxie went down to the vast unexplored jungles of South America and while poking around near the Straits of Magellan, discovered a starchy plant known to the locals to have great powers — giving “durable and vigorous feelings.” How come we never find plants like that in South Hiram or Westbrook?
Anyway, this Lieutenant Moxie, according to the story, returned to the United States and used the magical plant as the main ingredient in his new health tonic — Moxie. Great story, but no one has ever documented that anyone named Lieutenant Moxie fought, or even prepared meals, for either side in our Civil War. Besides that, no scientific reference has ever been published on any South American starchy plant that supposedly had medicinal properties.
So much for that particular Moxie legend. But don’t worry, over the last century the Moxie historians have unearthed many stories about the product’s origin.
The makers of Moxie claimed that their product, typical of all tonics of the age, could cure almost anything, including paralysis, nervous-exhaustion and softening of the brain. Also insanity and what people euphemistically referred to as “loss of manhood.” As a nostrum, or tonic, or “quack medicine,” Moxie was originally dispensed a spoonful at a time, just to make it seem more like medicine. It was first marketed as a patent medicine in Lowell, Mass., of all places, in 1876.
But Moxie does have a strong Maine connection. In 1884, Dr. Augustin Thompson of Union changed Moxie to take advantage of the new and growing soft drink market. The tonic became known as “Beverage Moxie: Nerve Food.” Later it was changed to “Moxie: That nasty-tasting stuff,” or words to that effect.
From the turn of the century until 1920, Moxie was America’s most popular soft drink. It was President Calvin Coolidge’s favorite drink, which explains that sour look he always had on his face.
Other claims to Maine come from our state’s Moxie Falls, Moxie Cave, Moxie Pond, Moxie Stream, Moxie Lake, East Moxie Township, Moxie Gore, moxie berries and, of course, moxie plums.
Because of its many Maine connections, I’ve always wanted to like Moxie, but I can’t. It might have something to do with the fact that it tastes like oil that’s been in a crankcase for 50,000 hard miles. I’m just guessing that in an impartial taste test the average person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two.
Moxie’s primary ingredient is said to be extract of gentian root. Another ingredient is wintergreen, an herb that was known as “moxie” when the formula was first concocted.
A recipe book lists Moxie’s main ingredients as oats, sassafras and wintergreen. A later label lists water, sugar cinchona (a bitter South American bark), alkaloids, caramel and “flavoring.” Many early quack medicines, including the original Coca-Cola formula, had cocaine as a beneficial. Some speculate that Moxie also once included cocaine to cure nervous exhaustion and that “loss of manhood” condition.
In 1906, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that sassafras may cause cancer and outlawed its use in food. So, the ever-resourceful Moxie people changed their formula again. Although it lacks sassafras, experts say Moxie tastes pretty much the way it did in the good old days — awful.
Mark your calendars, because every year on the second Saturday in July, upwards of 30,000 Moxie fans descend on the quiet little village of Lisbon Falls for the annual Moxie Day Festival. On festival day, the town’s sidewalks turn orange with Moxie shirts, and even the dogs sport orange bandanas. The festival is the brainchild of Moxie-lover Frank Anicetti, owner of Kennebec Fruit in Lisbon Falls. Frank sells Moxie in his store, of course, as well as Moxie candy and Moxie ice cream. After filling up on Moxie munchies, you can shop for Moxie T-shirts, Moxie caps, posters and all kinds of Moxie merchandise.
Frank even claims to be a Moxie drinker. I could claim to be a Moxie drinker too, except in my case it wouldn’t be true. Maybe I’ll start with some well-used crankcase oil poured over ice. Compared to Moxie, how bad can it be?
John McDonald, an author, humorist and storyteller who performs throughout New England, can be reached at mainestoryteller@yahoo.com. Read more of John’s columns at www.mainebiz.biz.
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