Hey kid, you got moxie! No, it's not just a compliment you get for doing a good job by an Italian stereotype; it's actually a soft drink. And widely considered to be the first mass-produced carbonated beverage in America! There was a time where you couldn't go into a local soda shoppe or drug store and not see that orange label everywhere. It was so popular that president Calvin Coolidge personally endorsed it. And while its popularity today has pretty much diminished, it still has a cult following in the New England states with Maine even naming it its official soda.
And much like all of the old-timey sodas invented in the 1800s, it was originated as a nerve tonic and a general "placebo" type drug meant to cure what ailed ya. It even came out in lozenge form to cure whooping cough. It's amazing how all of these sodas we drink today just for the hell of it, originally were considered to have medicinal purposes. I'd kiss my doctor smack on the mouth if he told me the cure to the common cold was to slug a Coke Zero! Moxie is made with the gentian root which is known to help with indigestion, so maybe there is some truth to the claim. Also, in all the research I've done on Moxie, it appears that most people consider it to be pretty bland when compared to the high-fructose corn syrup loaded sodas of today.
Now I've had Moxie once before many years ago. My buddy Andy knew of my affinity for the bizarre and rare sodas and brought one back to me from Vermont. But it's been so long that I can't recall what the taste it, so let's do this. (glug, glug, glug). It's sweeter than the reviews I read on it claimed it to be. To be honest, it's a taste all in its own. It's fruitier than a cola but blander than a Dr. Pepper. The thing I could most compare it to would be a Faygo Rock N' Rye or the short-lived Barqs Cherry Cream Soda...but still not quite. It's unique and by George I like it. This soda has Moxie...and my stomach is already starting to feel better. 4.5 out of 5 Santa hats.
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