This Lemon Wedge in Your Drink Is Probably Disgusting.
The lemon wedge in your drink has a bad reputation, and the evidence seems to be obvious: no one in the restaurant washes the lemon outside, but then they throw that wedge into your glass, sometimes letting the zest soak right into the drink. … And according to HuffPost, several studies have found all sorts of germs on lemon wedges from bars and restaurants. So should your drink order always include No Lemon Please?
“Only if you’re really concerned,” microbiologist Philip Tierno told HuffPost. These studies also found germs in everything else in restaurants, including menus, seasoning bottles, and tables. So avoiding lemon is not the most effective way to avoid illness.
There is, of course, another factor. So I asked a few friends with experience in food service if they had seen “disgusting” side dishes that shouldn’t be in drinks.
Some agreed that the cut fruit is often left overnight. “Fruits are expensive, so many people don’t throw away unused sliced citrus fruits at the end of the night, they just keep them in the refrigerator until morning,” said Derrick Winger. “The trays they sit in don’t get washed very often, which can leave an interesting juicing combination on the bottom.” He recommends tipping the tea well and asking the bartender for a freshly cut wedge.
Portland bartender (and Lifehacker member) Daniel Casto says the staff can be casual about fruit, and not just at dive bars:
If the lemons were cut on, say, Monday, chilled overnight, and used the next day, the bar staff should remember to turn the container over before adding fresh (Tuesday) lemons to the Monday stack. Ideally, you don’t combine dates; but when you do, you must first make sure the old things fail.
Lemons also get dirty when the bartender touches them with their bare hands, but as Casto notes, almost every time you eat outside, someone touches your food with their hands.
And if you’re rude, some of those dirty lemons are your fault, says Casteau:
Honestly, the dirtiest lemons I see come from ignorant customers who reach for their side dishes on my site. This happens too often, and these people need to be put in reserve in the city square.