The soft drink was invented by Dr. Augustin Thompson, a Maine native and Civil War veteran who worked in Lowell, MA. He patented a nostrum called Moxie Nerve Food in 1876. He eventually reformulated his drink and shortened the name to Moxie, in 1884.
An aggressive marketing campaign helped the brand grow into one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. One early advertisement for the drink read, “It nourishes the nervous system, cools the blood, tones up the stomach, and causes healthful, restful sleep. The family who orders a case from their grocer feels better and happier; the man who buys it in town at the druggists by the glass can accomplish more work.”
Maine declared Moxie its state soft drink in 2005 and the beverage is celebrated with a festival in Lisbon Falls, ME, every year.