What the world needs

Is plenty of Moxie. Which is why everyone should head to the annual Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine, home of the Moxie Museum. There'll be a Moxie-chugging contest!

From the festival web site:

Predating Coca-Cola, Moxie had its beginnings in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1886, where it was originally billed as "Moxie Nerve Food" and was thought to have medicinal capabilities.

On the original label of an early Moxie bottle, the elixir made claims to "...recover brain and nervous exhaustion; loss of imbecility and helplessness. It has recovered paralysis, softening of the brain…"

Moxie was hyped as more than your average tonic. The Moxie Co. was able to latch onto the events of the time to promote the drink which eventually outsold Coca Cola.

One interesting by-product of The Company's brilliant marketing campaigns is the abundance of memorabilia and collectibles that have remained.

Many professional collectors say Moxie collectibles are superior to other better known products in quality and as possible investments. Secondly, the popularity of the soft drink led to "Moxie the beverage becoming moxie, the descriptive word for pep, energy, and a special spirit." [From The Moxie Encyclopedia; Q. David Bowers]