Today is National Mule Day! If you're posting on social media, be sure to tag #NationalMuleDay.
To be fair, National Mule Day is about the animal, but who says we can't celebrate the kick of a Moscow Mule as well?
Is it safe to drink Moscow mules from a copper mug?
These days the most popular question that customers have about the Moscow Mule is the recipe (vodka, ginger beer and lime juice), but not long ago many customers came in concerned about the safety of Moscow mule mugs. It's traditional to serve Moscow mules in an unlined copper cup, which purists insist affects and improves the flavor.
If the vessel affects the flavor, then is there a reaction going on? Is it leaching copper into the drink? We can thank the chemistry department at the Carroll College in Helena, Montana for the answer. The aciditiy of a traditional Moscow mule recipe does indeed dissolve some of the copper in the mug, but it takes 27 minutes1 for the level of copper to be above limits that are generally considered safe.
Lined or unlined?
Both lined and unlined mugs are available, but the unlined are significantly more popular.
Hammered or Smooth?
Hammered are more popular than smooth, meaning that the unlined, hammered mug is the most popular of the four combinations.
Is it local?
Kitchen stores anywhere near Bisbee, Arizona or Butte, Montana can appreciate this question. These towns are home to massive copper mines. Customers in these areas often assume that the mugs are made locally, and many times they are not. This can be important to disclose to customers, though I can say from personal experience that this can be a tough conversation.
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