VIP Hardcover Coffee Table Book

Health officials of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division examined what happens when copper mixes with food. The results weren’t so great.

The state health officials concluded that using the signature mug for alcoholic beverages – or any food or liquid with a pH balance of below 6 – could result in food poisoning or copper poisoning, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and jaundice.


Going even further, the state of Iowa has declared that they will follow an FDA code on copper mugs, which “prohibits copper from coming into direct contact with foods that have a pH below 6.0.”

What falls below a pH of 6.0? Well, wine, for one, as well as vinegar, fruit juice, and pretty much all of the ingredients that make up a Moscow mule – vodka, ginger beer and lime juice.