Moxie

Moxie, a carbonated beverage, is considered to be the USA's first mass produced soft drink. Created in 1876 in Lowell, Massachusetts as a patent medicine by Dr. more...

Augustin Thompson, Moxie was marketed under the product name “Moxie Nerve Food” and was said to cure ailments ranging from softening of the brain to “loss of manhood”. In 1884, it was sold in carbonated form and merchandised as an invigorating drink, which claimed to endow the drinker with "spunk." In the early phase of its life as a recreational soft drink, Moxie is said to have been kept handy by bartenders to give to customers who were too drunk to be given any more alcohol. This story may be apocryphal, however, inspired by Moxie's (in)famous aftertaste that many people find unpleasantly strong.

The name entered the American language, when a person was said to be "full of Moxie", meaning that the person was skillful, or spirited. In this popular meaning, the word is sometimes spelled moxy. Moxie became unique in that it was the name of a commercially produced soft drink, also included in dictionaries. Moxie is also an attribute in Kingdom of Loathing, an online role-playing game.

The popularity of Moxie produced popular advertising jingles such as "Just Make It Moxie for Mine" and president Calvin Coolidge was known to have favored the drink. Ted Williams also endorsed the soft drink.

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