Old New England

diggin4clad

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Got these photos out of a book called "Yankees Remember" which has a number of photos about life in New England in the late 1800's and early 1900's. I drank Moxie as a kid, it wasn't as popular as Coke or Pepsi but had quite a following in New England. Originally it was touted as a "Nerve Food" but eventually that was changed to "fountain drink". back in the old days snow wasn't plowed, it was rolled to make the streets passable.
 

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Thanks for sharing, those are cool pictures and I had no clue about rolling snow.

I dig quite a few moxie bottles when I’m out digging bottles here in CT
 
I've tasted Moxie -- it's definitely an acquired taste. I didn't acquire the taste, so while I could drink it if the alternative was dying of dehydration, it's not something I would buy in the store. I would drink it before two others, though: Ginseng Rush, which I haven't seen for a while (thank the Lord!), which tasted like vanilla ice cream left in an old freezer for a few years, and Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda, which I'm sure was meant as a mixer, but after the initial taste, tasted like you've been chewing on a stalk of celery for the last week.

-- Tom
 
Neat pics !!!! …...don't remember ever hearing of Moxie or rolling snow !

…….just did a quick search and found a couple ads -

Moxie1.jpg

Moxie2.jpg
 
I've tasted Moxie -- it's definitely an acquired taste. I didn't acquire the taste, so while I could drink it if the alternative was dying of dehydration, it's not something I would buy in the store. I would drink it before two others, though: Ginseng Rush, which I haven't seen for a while (thank the Lord!), which tasted like vanilla ice cream left in an old freezer for a few years, and Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda, which I'm sure was meant as a mixer, but after the initial taste, tasted like you've been chewing on a stalk of celery for the last week.

-- Tom
I drank it if there was nothing else but I definitely preferred Coca-Cola. We never had Ginseng Rush or Dr. Browns. Just the name alone (Cel-Ray) tells you it must have tasted like celery...….

Neat pics !!!! …...don't remember ever hearing of Moxie or rolling snow !

…….just did a quick search and found a couple ads -

View attachment 435704

View attachment 435705
Moxie was pretty much a New England favorite. I don't know about other parts of the country. The top picture in your post says 1897..way before my time but the bottom picture is the one I remember on the bottles.
 
Ive also dug a few moxie bottles, I remember seeing it in my grandparents fridge :laughing: we were always drinking coke or Pepsi. Those are some really cool pictures. Thanks for sharing!
 
That snow roller is pretty neat, That's the first one Iv'e ever seen.
I know a few people who drink Moxie all the time and won't drink any other soda,
I think it still has a large New England following, I like Moxie but my favorite is Dr. Pepper.
 
@diggin4clad, I knew it would taste like celery, but I didn't expect that horrible aftertaste.

The Ginseng Rush was part of a line of all-natural sodas, and the rest were good.

One of my favorite sodas is one I can't find up here: Cheerwine. Right now, the best sodas available to me are at Tippy's Tacos, and they are made by Jarritos.

To each his own.

-- Tom
 
That snow roller is pretty neat, That's the first one Iv'e ever seen.
I know a few people who drink Moxie all the time and won't drink any other soda,
I think it still has a large New England following, I like Moxie but my favorite is Dr. Pepper.
The snow roller pictures were taken in New Hampshire. I haven't had Moxie in years. I drank my first Dr. Pepper in 1965 when I was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We didn't have it in Connecticut until many years later.

Ive also dug a few moxie bottles, I remember seeing it in my grandparents fridge :laughing: we were always drinking coke or Pepsi. Those are some really cool pictures. Thanks for sharing!
It was at my grandparents house that I was first introduced to Moxie back in the 1950's. My grandfather was the one who drank it but he didn't refrigerate it because he liked it at room temperature.
 
I've tasted Moxie -- it's definitely an acquired taste. I didn't acquire the taste, so while I could drink it if the alternative was dying of dehydration, it's not something I would buy in the store. I would drink it before two others, though: Ginseng Rush, which I haven't seen for a while (thank the Lord!), which tasted like vanilla ice cream left in an old freezer for a few years, and Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda, which I'm sure was meant as a mixer, but after the initial taste, tasted like you've been chewing on a stalk of celery for the last week.

-- Tom

Ive tried it..if i had to take a drink of moxie or drink the same amount of brake fluid..id take my chances on brake fluid..i may get sick but it has to taste better
 
@diggin4clad, I knew it would taste like celery, but I didn't expect that horrible aftertaste.

The Ginseng Rush was part of a line of all-natural sodas, and the rest were good.

One of my favorite sodas is one I can't find up here: Cheerwine. Right now, the best sodas available to me are at Tippy's Tacos, and they are made by Jarritos.

To each his own.

-- Tom

My wife and I experienced Cheerwine on our honeymoon. Man that stuff is good! We found it in North Carolina. Our local Ace Hardware sells it here occasionally.
 
That's cool thanks for sharing, i hadn't heard of either snow rolling or Moxie. Thanks for the education?
 
@diggin4clad, I knew it would taste like celery, but I didn't expect that horrible aftertaste.

The Ginseng Rush was part of a line of all-natural sodas, and the rest were good.

One of my favorite sodas is one I can't find up here: Cheerwine. Right now, the best sodas available to me are at Tippy's Tacos, and they are made by Jarritos.

To each his own.

-- Tom


Buy it at the source.. ;) https://store.cheerwine.com/products.html
 
Ive tried it..if i had to take a drink of moxie or drink the same amount of brake fluid..id take my chances on brake fluid..i may get sick but it has to taste better
They're actually one and the same:laughing:

My wife and I experienced Cheerwine on our honeymoon. Man that stuff is good! We found it in North Carolina. Our local Ace Hardware sells it here occasionally.
Never heard of Cheerwine but the name is catchy.

That's cool thanks for sharing, i hadn't heard of either snow rolling or Moxie. Thanks for the education?
Thanks....
 
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