JJ and Tyler discuss the science behind the original 100% copper Moscow Mule mug and why it’s the best way to enjoy this popular frosty beverage. Learn about conductivity, carbonation and more as well as how each of these properties contribute to the ideal drinking experience.
JJ: What’s up, buddy?
Tyler: What’s going on?
JJ: We’re back.
Tyler: Cheers.
JJ: Yeah. Episode two. I’m JJ.
Tyler: And I’m Tyler.
JJ: And this is MuleTalk.
Tyler: And this is MuleTalk.
JJ: Episode two.
Tyler: Yeah.
JJ: So, we got through the hard one. Episode one. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad for you guys. You know, we’re still getting used to the whole podcasting, but we’re going to start having a lot of fun here. And hopefully you all like it. What are we going to talk about today?
Tyler: Well, JJ, I mean I think there’s a lot of … we should talk about the science of copper and what’s going on with the Moscow mule mug, and talk about your product and …
JJ: I guess we covered-
Tyler: I think that’s important.
JJ: Covered the history.
Tyler: Yeah we covered the history.
JJ: Of Moscow mule in episode one. And that sounds good. We can get into the science a little bit. So, as we mentioned in the first episode, it’s super important that you’re drinking your Moscow mules from 100% pure solid copper mug. Now, you’ll go to bars, most bars in fact today are serving out of a tin or nickel lined mug.
Tyler: Yeah.
JJ: And they’ll give you a various variety of reasons for why they’re doing that. But the ultimate reason is because it’s less expensive to do it that way. You know, a lot of bars have had their mugs stolen.
Tyler: Right.
JJ: And they’re trying to save on costs or who knows. I mean, so many different reasons. But the fact of the matter is the mule was invented in a solid copper mug for a reason. It’s been proven time and time again that there’s a purpose behind that. And that’s what I want to cover right now is.
Tyler: And it just tastes better.
JJ: Oh yeah.
Tyler: I mean, pure copper makes a huge difference.
JJ: Oh definitely. Yeah, you can blind taste test. You could determine that in a second.
Tyler: Right.
JJ: So, the thing is, copper is an amazing conductor of both heat and cold. So when you’ve got a mule and you fill your cup up with ice, immediately, you watch your mug, if you can see on this one here, it’s already halfway gone, but it’s still frosty and ice cold.
Tyler: Oh yeah.
JJ: Because the ice immediately comes out into the copper and you see that layer of frost cover your mug.
Tyler: Right, right.
JJ: Right away. So-
Tyler: We’ve been drinking these for a while and they’re still ice cold.
JJ: Yeah, no it is. And then again, you bring your lip up to the mug. Many people wonder why does it taste so much colder when you go to take a sip? Well that’s because copper is actually pulling the heat right out of your lips, right out of the body. It’s amazing how that happens. So next time at home, next time you go make a mule, hopefully right now, make one while you’re watching this. And you’ll see what I’m talking about. Just-
Tyler: You’ll notice the difference. You’ll notice the difference right away. When you’re drinking out of a glass that’s losing it’s … the glass isn’t conducting the cold as well as a copper would. The glass is just expelling all of that right out. And so you’re losing a lot of your, a lot of the frostiness and the coldness from your cocktail when you put it in glass or tin or anything else that’s not 100% pure copper. Plus, when it hits your lips, it’s not pulling the heat out of your lips like the copper does. And it makes a big difference in your Moscow mule, wouldn’t you say?
JJ: Oh it totally does. And there’s so much more than that as well, Tyler. We should also talk about the carbonation, the CO2.
Tyler: That’s right, that’s right.
JJ: So, you’re going to actually notice if you did this side by side, your fizz, we call it the fizz, the CO2 bubbles, whatever you want to call it from your ginger beer, you’re going to have a ton more bubbles because the CO2 is released at a much slower pace. So that causes more carbonation, more fizz. Which again, translates to better taste. The more bubbles-
Tyler: Absolutely.
JJ: The better.
Tyler: Nobody wants a flat mule.
JJ: No. More bubbles in your bubble bath, the better. And more bubbles in your mule, the better.
Tyler: It’s true.
JJ: So, that’s a bit about the science for you.
Tyler: Oh let’s not forget about the handle as well.
JJ: Tell us about the handle, Tyler.
Tyler: So, another important thing that I noticed as well as the handle is these handles not only is it being the original Moscow mule design that Grandma Sophie intended, but the handle that she created as well keeps your hand away from your mug. So you’re not wrapping your hand around the mug so much, or your hand’s not right up against your mug where the heat is transferring into your cocktail. It’s a little farther away. You have a nice space in between there. And that allows the cocktail to stay cooler longer basically.
JJ: Right.
Tyler: I mean, just sitting-
JJ: See me holding my mug, not only is my hand about to get frostbite, but you can see it’s already warming the mug up a good deal. So-
Tyler: Right, right.
JJ: And that’s exactly why we did the handle like this. So you can keep that mule cold for a really long time. Typically, a good 45 minutes to an hour, it’ll stay nice and frosty cold.
Tyler: Yeah, we’ve been drinking these for a while. And they’re still real cold.
JJ: Well, quit nursing your mule and finish it up. Gonna have to pour another one in a minute. Well, there’s your science lesson. We should’ve brought, what’s that guy’s name? Bill Nye the Science guy?
Tyler: Bill Nye the Science guy.
JJ: I grew up to that guy.
Tyler: Haven’t seen that-
JJ: Watching him.
Tyler: Long time ago, watching that guy.
JJ: Well Bill, if you’re still around, give us a call.
Tyler: Yeah.
JJ: Maybe you can come on a future episode.
Tyler: Come on in.
JJ: And tell us a little bit more about the copper. But you know, we have a whole section inside Mulehead for you nerds out there that want to get deep into this and learn more about the science. We’ve got the science behind the copper. Some really cool illustrations, got a little guy around a campfire here, explaining conduction and radiation and convection. On and on and one. So, yeah. We’ve got-
Tyler: And again, where can everyone purchase this book, JJ?
JJ: The book, you can find a lot of the recipes on Moscowmule.com here for free. But Moscowcopper.com if you’re looking for a copy of Mulehead or at your local retailer.
Tyler: Okay.
JJ: Starting to get out everywhere now.
Tyler: Nice.
JJ: Yeah, so that’s a wrap, huh? Episode two. We’ve got the science down, and next week, we will … what do you want to talk about next week? Oh we should do the hair of the mule.
Tyler: We should do the hair of the mule. Yeah.
JJ: Get in during the holidays, you know. Actually-
Tyler: We’ll save that one for next week though. We won’t dabble too much into it. It’s a good one.
JJ: We gotta let them know.
Tyler: Absolutely.
JJ: So, yeah, we’ll get into that. And that’s it. That’s all we got for now.
Tyler: Yeah, and for everyone watching, please post any questions that you have. If you have any questions about the science behind our mugs or any of our products, please post a question. We’ll get back to you soon. We’ll do our research or if we know it right off, we’ll get back to you soon as we can. And yeah, post any of your comments, questions, anything you want us to talk about as far as in the bar industry or Moscow mules in general. Please, post it.
JJ: It’ll be fun to start getting into some listener questions.
Tyler: Yeah.
JJ: Right on. Alright buddy.
Tyler: Right on. Cheers.
JJ: Another week, signing off. From MuleTalk.
