"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>>On 6/11/2010 1:44 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
>
>>> My father (born 1912) related that originally, Moxie contained
>>> a strong stimulant, stronger than caffeine. What exactly it
>>> was is uncertain. (Probably not cocaine, as I believe that was
>>> already illegal in soft drinks by that point.)
>
>>The law that outlawed cocaine, pot and heroin, to the best of my
>>knowledge came into being in 1934.
>
> Thanks. In this case, the Moxie during my father's childhood
> might have had cocaine in it.
>
> Steve

No mention of it in Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie


Moxie originated as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food,"[1] which
was created around 1876 by Dr. Augustin Thompson. Thompson claimed that it
contained an extract from a rare, unnamed South American plant, which had
supposedly been discovered by a friend of his, Lieutenant Moxie,[1] who had
used it as a panacea. Moxie, he claimed, was especially effective against
"paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia."[1]

After a few years, Thompson added soda water to the formula and changed the
product's name to "Beverage Moxie Nerve Food." By 1884 he was selling Moxie
both in bottles and in bulk as a soda fountain syrup. He marketed it as "a
delicious blend of bitter and sweet, a drink to satisfy everyone's
taste."[2]

President Calvin Coolidge was known to favor the drink, and Boston Red Sox
slugger Ted Williams endorsed it on radio and in print. The company also
marketed a beverage called "Ted's Root Beer" in the early sixties. Author E.
B. White once claimed that "Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path
to the good life."[5] Currently, one of the ingredients of Moxie is "Gentian
Root Extractives," which may contribute to the drink's unique flavor.[6]