The Lowell Daily Journal and Courier, August 27, 1858, page 3. https://archive.org/details/lowellcourierjulydec_1853_01_roll38
Who doesn’t like a good cure? Bottled water, still and sparkling, was popular in the 19th century, often sold as a tonic, meant to improve health or invigorate a person. Moxie, the official soda of Maine, is noted for its bitter aftertaste. After all, everyone knows medicine shouldn’t taste good. Moxie Nerve Food was produced in Lowell after the Civil War and marketed to be effective against many maladies. The beverage was so popular that its name became a commonly used word, a synonym of nerve and verve. Old New Englanders still refer to soda as tonic. Moxie, a soda first bottled in Lowell, had its origins as Moxie Nerve Tonic, before its inventor thought to add club soda.