Is it bad to drink alcohol out of copper?

December 3, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Model Food Code, copper should not come into direct contact with foods or beverages with a pH level below 6.0. So, is it bad to drink alcohol out of copper? Yes, if the mug is unlined, as the acidic alcohol can cause copper to leach into your drink, leading to potential health risks.

Quick Summary

Pure, unlined copper can react with acidic drinks like cocktails, causing copper to leach into the beverage and potentially causing copper toxicity. While occasional exposure is low-risk, prolonged contact can lead to unsafe copper levels. Always use mugs with a food-safe lining, such as stainless steel or nickel, for safe consumption.

Key Points

Acidity is the Key: Acidic drinks, including many alcoholic cocktails like the Moscow Mule, cause unlined copper to leach into the beverage.
Unlined Mugs Pose a Risk: Any copper mug without an inner food-safe lining can transfer copper into your drink, leading to potential toxicity.
Know the Symptoms of Copper Poisoning: Excessive copper ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even liver damage.
Choose Lined Mugs for Safety: Most commercial copper mugs have a stainless steel, nickel, or tin lining to prevent contact between the drink and the copper.
Contact Time and Heat Matter: The longer an acidic drink sits in an unlined copper mug, and the warmer the temperature, the more copper will leach.
Not a Myth, but Often Misinterpreted: While severe copper poisoning from a single cocktail is unlikely, repeated or prolonged use of unlined mugs carries genuine risk, leading to advisories from health authorities.
Water is Generally Safe: Unlined copper mugs are considered safe for water, which has a neutral pH, but acidic drinks and carbonated water are not.

The Chemical Reaction: Why Acidic Alcohol is the Culprit

The primary danger of drinking alcohol from an unlined copper vessel stems from a chemical reaction between acidic liquids and copper. This reaction, known as leaching, causes copper ions to dissolve into the drink. Acidic beverages like many cocktails, especially those containing lime juice like a Moscow Mule, have a pH below 6.0 and can accelerate this process. Heat can further intensify the leaching of copper.

Factors Influencing Copper Leaching

Several elements impact how much copper leaches into your drink:

Acidity: More acidic drinks lead to greater copper leaching.
Contact Time: Longer exposure of the liquid to the copper increases the amount of leached copper.
Temperature: Higher temperatures increase the rate of the chemical reaction.

The Health Risks of Excessive Copper Exposure

Although copper is vital for health, consuming too much can result in copper toxicity or poisoning. The body typically regulates copper levels, but a large, concentrated intake can overload these mechanisms.

Symptoms of Copper Toxicity

Acute copper poisoning can cause various symptoms:

Stomach pain and cramps
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
A metallic taste
Jaundice in severe cases

Severe and Long-Term Complications

Chronic overexposure or very high acute doses can lead to more serious health issues:

Damage to the liver and kidneys
Neurological problems
Anemia

The Safe Alternative: Lined Copper Mugs

Fortunately, most copper mugs sold today feature a food-safe lining, commonly made of stainless steel, nickel, or tin. This lining creates a barrier that prevents acidic drinks from contacting the copper and causing leaching. This allows users to enjoy the look and insulating properties of copper mugs without the associated health risks.

How to Identify a Safe Mug

When buying a copper mug, confirm it has a food-safe lining. Reputable sellers will usually specify if the mug is lined. You can also check the interior; if it appears silver instead of the copper's reddish-orange, it likely has a lining. If uncertain, using glass or other non-reactive drinkware is the safest option.

Copper Cookware vs. Copper Mugs


Feature	Copper Cookware	Unlined Copper Mugs
Purpose	Cooking, leveraging heat conductivity.	Serving beverages, valued for appearance and cooling.
Usage with Acidic Foods	Unlined cookware is not advised for acidic foods like tomato sauces.	Problematic with acidic drinks, especially with prolonged contact.
Lining	Professional versions are often lined with tin or stainless steel.	Lined mugs are widely available and recommended for safety.
Exposure Time	Cooking involves sustained heat and contact, increasing leaching risk if unlined.	Drinks can sit, but the risk from a single, quickly consumed drink is lower than from cooking.
Heat	High cooking temperatures significantly increase copper leaching.	Cold drinks in mugs reduce leaching, but hot drinks would be risky.

Conclusion

Despite the appeal of a traditional, unlined copper mug for cocktails, especially a Moscow Mule, scientific evidence shows that combining unlined copper with acidic alcohol is unsafe. This can lead to copper leaching and potential toxicity, causing symptoms from mild digestive issues to serious liver damage in chronic cases. The safe solution is readily available: use copper mugs that are lined with a food-safe material like stainless steel. This allows you to enjoy the aesthetic and temperature benefits of copper mugs safely. Always check product details and prioritize safety when choosing drinkware.

For more information on copper toxicity, including its varying impacts and treatment methods, you can refer to a Wikipedia entry on the subject..

Frequently Asked Questions

It is only safe to drink a Moscow Mule from a copper mug if the mug has a food-safe inner lining, such as stainless steel or nickel. The lime juice and ginger beer in a Moscow Mule are acidic and will cause unlined copper to leach into the drink.

Visually inspect the inside of the mug. A lined mug will typically have a shiny, silver-colored interior that is distinct from the copper exterior. If the inside is the same reddish-orange color as the outside, it is unlined.

Consuming excessive amounts of copper can lead to copper toxicity. Symptoms of acute poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Chronic overexposure can cause liver or kidney damage.

Severe copper poisoning from a single drink is highly unlikely, especially if the drink is consumed promptly. The risk increases with repeated or prolonged use of unlined mugs with acidic beverages.

The belief that copper vessels have health benefits, stemming from ancient Ayurvedic practices, typically applies to plain water left to stand for a specific time. This does not apply to acidic beverages like alcohol, which accelerate the leaching process.

Yes, it is generally considered safe to drink plain water from an unlined copper mug, as water is pH neutral. However, avoid carbonated or flavored water, as these can be acidic.

Yes, the FDA's Model Food Code prohibits copper from contacting foods and beverages with a pH below 6.0 in commercial settings, leading to regulations in many states, such as Iowa, that require lined mugs for acidic drinks.