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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]].
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]]. National retail sales are also offered through internet sites such as <a href="www.buymoxie.com>buyMoxie.com</a>.


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.<ref name="MoxieGlobe1">{{Citation
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.<ref name="MoxieGlobe1">{{Citation
Line 103: Line 103:
*[http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/ Kingdom of Loathing]
*[http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/ Kingdom of Loathing]
*[http://www.moxieworld.us/ Moxie World] (includes a list of places to buy Moxie)
*[http://www.moxieworld.us/ Moxie World] (includes a list of places to buy Moxie)
*[http://www.buymoxie.com/ BuyMoxie.com]
*[http://www.buymoxie.com/ buyMoxie.com]
*[http://www.moxiefestival.com/ Moxie Festival]
*[http://www.moxiefestival.com/ Moxie Festival]
*[http://www.mariettasodamuseum.com/moxie_facts.htm Moxie Facts]
*[http://www.mariettasodamuseum.com/moxie_facts.htm Moxie Facts]

Revision as of 21:10, 17 November 2009

Moxie Soda

Monarch-era Moxie can
TypeSoft drink
ManufacturerCornucopia Beverages, Inc.
Country of origin United States
Introduced1876
ColorCaramel
VariantsDiet Moxie
Websitewww.DrinkMoxie.com Edit this on Wikidata

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.

History

The original instance of Moxie was a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food"[1] which was invented ca. 1876 by Dr. Augustin Thompson. Thompson claimed that it contained extracts from a rare, unnamed South-American plant which was discovered by a (fictitious) friend of his, one Lieutenant Moxie[1]; as a panacea, it was supposed to be especially effective against "paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness and insomnia"[1].

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."[2]

The company used the slogan "Make mine Moxie!", advertising jingles such as “Just Make It Moxie for Mine”, and the "Moxie Man" logo. President Calvin Coolidge was known to have favored the drink, and Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams was hired to endorse the soft drink. Author E. B. White once claimed that “Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life.”[3]

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

The brand suffered a significant decline in popularity the 1930s, which is thought to have been the result of the company's decision to increase spending on their sugar reserves while cutting back on their popular advertising campaigns.

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

Sugar-free Diet Moxie was introduced in 1962.

Moxie today

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.[5]

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. National retail sales are also offered through internet sites such as <a href="www.buymoxie.com>buyMoxie.com</a>.

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.[6]

Moxie's flavor, more bitter than most modern soft drinks, remains unique.

Derivative products

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. The energy drink is citrus based, reminiscent in flavor to Red Bull, and lacks Moxie's usual gentian root flavor, caramel color, and (as of 2008) distinctive branding, trading less off of Moxie's reputation and more off the word's colloquial 'chutzpah' meaning.

Moxie is often associated with the birthplace of its inventor, Maine. It was designated as the official state soft drink of Maine on May 10, 2005.[7]

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

There is a Moxie museum in Union, Maine (birthplace of Dr. Augustin Thompson) which, among other memorabilia, houses a 30 foot-tall wooden Moxie bottle once used as a soda stand. This is an annex to the Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage located at the Union Fairgrounds.

In common language

Look up moxie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Through extensive advertising, the neologism Moxie has taken on the meaning of "courage, daring; energy, vision"[8][9] in American English, as in "This guy's got moxie!"

The term Moxie is also used to indicate agility in the popular MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing.

References

  • Frank Potter: The Book Of Moxie, 1987, ISBN 978-0891453482
  • The Moxie Encyclopedia by Q. David Bowers
  1. ^ a b c Mark Pendergrast: For God, Country and Coca-Cola, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1993, ISBN 978-0465054688
  2. ^ Anne Cooper Funderburg (2001), Sundae best: a history of soda fountains, Popular Press, pp. 67-68, ISBN 9780879728540.
  3. ^ written at Harvard-Radcliffe, "Make Mine Moxie", Perspective, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November, 2001, retrieved October 9, 2007 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Moxie For Mine: More About Moxie the Drink"
  5. ^ Paiste, Denis (2007-04-06). "Moxie, same taste, new owner" (reprint). New Hampshire Union Leader. Union Leader Corporation. p. B3. Retrieved 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 at undisclosed terms. 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. He 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. {{cite news}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 245 (help)
  6. ^ 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, retrieved 2007-08-15
  7. ^ "Moxie becomes state soft drink of Maine". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); External link in |title= (help)
  8. ^ The Chambers Dictionary, 1993, ISBN 0-550-10255-8
  9. ^ moxie - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
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