# I finally have Moxie! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359 "2007-06-17T15:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/1 "2007-06-17T15:05:22Z")
A mere 3 years after declaring my desire to try Moxie in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=253375), my desire was finally achieved! I found this tiny grocery store while on vacation, in the middle of nowhere. Not only did it have Moxie, but it had such soft drinks as “Bubble Up” and a wide variety of Faygo sodas. Anyway, I tried it at long last. Interesting. Sort of a fusion of root beer, with cola overtones, and a new, weird taste that was almost completely unlike anise. Perhaps that was the gentian root. I brought a bottle home as a souvenier. I must try it again. Any other opinions about Moxie? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/2 "2007-06-17T15:11:59Z")
I’m curious. Does it only retail in one region? I didn’t know it still existed at all. Do little grocery stores in the middle of nowhere carry unusual products as standard? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/3 "2007-06-17T15:17:41Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] I’m curious. Does it only retail in one region? I didn’t know it still existed at all. Do little grocery stores in the middle of nowhere carry unusual products as standard? [/QUOTE] I understand it’s generally available in parts of New England, but not a lot of other places. Until the other day, I’ve never seen it anywhere. And I generally keep my eyes open for oddball products. You can never tell what you’ll find in little grocery stores in the middle of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/4 "2007-06-17T15:21:50Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Interesting. Sort of a fusion of root beer, with cola overtones, and a new, weird taste that was almost completely unlike anise. Perhaps that was the gentian root. [/QUOTE] Gentian is bitter. Bitter, bitter, bitter, with an overtone of bitter. It’s wonderful, but I’m sort of shocked it’s in a bottled beverage, but of course bar bitters are used all the time, and often contain gentian. I used gentian extract when I quit smoking - after meals, just one drop of gentian got the ol’ gut moving like nicotine used to. Ever used gentian violet\*? That’s the same plant. Bitter. \*aka Andergon, Aniline violet, Axuris, Badil, Basic Violet 3, Brilliant Violet 58, Gentiaverm, Hexamethyl-p-rosaniline chloride, Meroxylan, Meroxyl, Methylrosalinide chloride, Methyl Violet 10BNS, Pyoktanin, Vianin, Viocid, and Viola Crystallina ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/5 "2007-06-17T15:26:22Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Ever used gentian violet\*? That’s the same plant. Bitter. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I’ve used it for oral thrush resistant to the common antifungals. Paint the inside of the mouth with it, and away goes the thrush. Of course the patient is left with a bright purple mouth for a while. Hmmm… Moxie as a fungicide? Cool! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/6 "2007-06-17T15:26:51Z")
I love Moxie! Of course, my local soda shop has tons of it…you should have asked. Ditto the Faygo, Bubble-Up, etc. About the only thing they don’t carry is AJ Stephans! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/7 "2007-06-17T15:54:25Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Yeah, I’ve used it for oral thrush resistant to the common antifungals. Paint the inside of the mouth with it, and away goes the thrush. Of course the patient is left with a bright purple mouth for a while. Hmmm… Moxie as a fungicide? Cool! [/QUOTE] I’m not sure it contains therapeutic quantities, mind you! Might be closer to the homeopathic end of the scale. 😉 (You think purple mouth looks funny - try purple nipples! My son and I passed thrush back and forth for quite a while during breastfeeding.) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/8 "2007-06-17T16:40:20Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] I’m curious. Does it only retail in one region? I didn’t know it still existed at all. Do little grocery stores in the middle of nowhere carry unusual products as standard? [/QUOTE] [Here](http://www.moxie.info/mfg.htm) is a list of distributers. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/9 "2007-06-17T16:48:58Z")
My opinion: Moxie Original Elixer is undrinkable. All other Moxie products are delish. Especially the Orange Cream Soda and the Cherry Cola. Yum. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/10 "2007-06-17T17:13:19Z")
Under no circumstances are you to try the Moxie Energy drink. It tastes like burning. Other Moxies I can stand, that one is beyond awful. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/11 "2007-06-17T18:07:01Z")
I ordered a couple bottles several years back from [Pop the Soda Shop](http://www.popsoda.com/moxieoriginal.html). Quite an interesting flavor. I really didn’t care for the first bottle I drank, but then as I got towards the bottom of the bottle, the bitterness didn’t seem as apparent. The second bottle I drank I guess I knew what to expect and it was fairly enjoyable. I definitely recommend that site if you’re interested in trying soda that isn’t available in your region, though. ---
**Author:** ![SoCalled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@SoCalled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoCalled)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/12 "2007-06-17T20:26:44Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Gentian is bitter. Bitter, bitter, bitter, with an overtone of bitter. It’s wonderful, but I’m sort of shocked it’s in a bottled beverage, but of course bar bitters are used all the time, and often contain gentian. [/QUOTE] As a long-time Moxie drinker, I’ve noticed that the characteristic “Moxiness” taste on the back of the tongue (where bitter is sensed) can vary considerably from can to can. I have no explanation for this. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/13 "2007-06-17T21:15:30Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Interesting. Sort of a fusion of root beer, with cola overtones, and a new, weird taste that was almost completely unlike anise. Perhaps that was the gentian root. I brought a bottle home as a souvenier. I must try it again. Any other opinions about Moxie? [/QUOTE] I’ve had it twice. The second time was just to see if I acquired a taste for it (I didn’t). I thought it had the aroma of rubber cement and tasted like carbonated Vick’s Vapor Rub. (BTW, does Vick’s Vapor Rub have gentian root in it?) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/14 "2007-06-17T23:43:17Z")
[QUOTE=NDP] (BTW, does Vick’s Vapor Rub have gentian root in it?) [/QUOTE] Nope. Several other plant based products, but no gentian. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/15 "2007-06-18T11:21:16Z")
Moxie is made in maine. it is indeed a regional thing-and most of its devotees are over 65. The stuff tasest absolutely AWFUL-bitter, must, and with an awfulk aftertaste. I can’t imagine anybody liking the stuff-it is probably an acquired taset. my teenage daughter opened a can once, and threw it away-she though it was a “normal” soda drink that had gone bad. MOXIE-awful, awful stuff!, Not even Dr. Brown’s celery soda (weird stuff) tastes as bad! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/16 "2007-06-18T12:07:15Z")
The [Canadian variety](http://www.amazon.com/Ridin-High-Moxy/dp/B00000IXXY) leaves the best taste in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![SoCalled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@SoCalled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoCalled)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/17 "2007-06-18T12:26:12Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Moxie is made in maine. [/QUOTE] Nitpickery of the day: Moxie did origniate here, but the brand is currently owned by the Monarch Company of Atlanta, Georgia. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/18 "2007-06-18T13:56:11Z")
Next time you’re in Cleveland, consider dining at this fine restaurant - I’ve just been once, but it’s great: [http://www.moxietherestaurant.com/main.html](http://www.moxietherestaurant.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-have-moxie/408359/19 "2007-06-18T14:02:29Z")
Moxie is my soft drink of choice, and has been for many years. The bitter, medicinal taste is indeed due to gentian. And it \*is \*an acquired taste.