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Leather Safety Information for Cocktails

Leather Aging

This page is under construction. Below is some basic info that we'll be expanding in coming months. Subscribe to CocktailSafe content for updates when pages like this one are complete. 

 

Some bars have served "leather aged" cocktails or cocktails with  "leather infused" ingredients. As leather can be prepared in food-safe methods or in ways potentially very dangerous for consumption, caution must be made to use food-safe leather. [To Research: Does Food Safe Leather Exist?]

Leather-aged cocktails are frequently aged in bota bags or wineskins. These can be lined with neutral plastic materials (as most seem to be) or prepared in a traditional method with a "pitch" on the inside [link] that may have a pine flavor, and should be seasoned before using. [To Research: Are these allowable in the US?]

 

Safety Information: 

Most leather is prepared (tanned) with chromium [link], which is toxic. Leather can also undergo vegetable tanning. 

Additionally, bartenders should follow guidelines for barrel-aged cocktails with regard to high-proof, spoilage, etc. of ingredients used. 

 

Legal Information: 

A distillery in Minneapolis was told to stop production on their leather-aged aquavit and consumers were advised not to drink it, as it contained non-food-grade leather [link][link]. "The department found that Norseman used a “non food grade tanned leather (animal hide), which is an unapproved food ingredient."

 

 

 

 

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