When it comes to photogenic cocktail glasses, none are nicer to look at than the copper Moscow Mule mugs. However they are formed, they always look great filled with vodka and garnished with a lime.
However, it turns out, what is on the inside of Moscow Mule mugs could count for more than you think.
Iowa’s Alcoholic Beverages Division has looked into whether copper drinks receptacles are safe to drink from or not. The state has “adopted the federal Food and Drug Administration’s Model Food Code which prohibits copper from coming into direct contact with foods that have a pH below 6.0”, the advisory bulletin says.
And seeing as a Moscow Mule’s pH is below 6.0, copper mugs with a copper interior are not safe to drink from with this beverage. Only those with another metal lining, such as nickel or stainless steel, are safe.
The statement reasons that “high concentrations of copper are poisonous and have caused foodborne illness.
“When copper and copper alloy surfaces contact acidic foods, copper may be leached into the food,” leading to “copper poisoning”.
Yikes! So next time you order a Mule from a bar, maybe check what their copper mugs are lined with first…
