If you’re someone who appreciates a great homemade co*cktail now and then (hey, we’re fans too), you’ve likely got a couple of bottles of booze in your freezer, a few on your bar cart, and are iffy on where to store the rest. Can alcohol go bad? What types of alcohol do you need to refrigerate? What’s the shelf life of that bottle of vermouth? We’re here to answer your questions and assuage your fears of alcohol spoilage with some professional advice.
We chatted with Meaghan Montagano, beverage manager at NYC’s Nat’s on Bank, and John deBary, author of Drink What You Want, to find out how to store liquor, what alcohol you need to refrigerate—and ways to use it up more quickly. (Hint: It involves more drinking. A hardship.)
Making a Manhattan? Listen up!
What types of alcohol do you not need to refrigerate?
DeBary puts his alcohol into two categories: If it’s processed through timed fermentation—think vermouth, sherry, or other wine-based booze—an open bottle will likely benefit from being stored in the fridge (more on this below!). But if it’s distilled (think gin, vodka, and other base spirits that you would consider “hard liquor”), it’s already gone through a process that relies on big temperature fluctuations and likely okay stored at room temperature. These spirits have a super high alcohol content that will protect them from oxidation or from developing any funky flavors (especially if they’re unopened).
But this is not permission to store them year-round on top of your radiator or on your windowsill in the sunlight. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to store your bottles of liquor—even the ones with the highest alcohol content—in a cool, dark place, like a designated liquor cabinet away from direct sunlight or drastic temperature fluctuations. You don’t need to go so far as to store base spirits in your freezer—but it’s a great option if you prefer to serve them chilled (and are running out of room on your bar cart).
What types of alcohol do you need to refrigerate?
If you’ve ever left a bottle of re-corked wine on the counter for over a week, you know the despair of musty-smelling, funky-tasting booze. While you likely won’t get sick from taking a few sips of an open bottle of wine that’s been on the counter for a week, it definitely won’t taste its best.
“It’s not undrinkable, or like you’ve committed some huge crime against the gods of beverages,” deBary says. “It’s more about the level of freshness you want to work with.” If you’re investing in a top-shelf vermouth, for example, you want to make it last for as many co*cktails as you can.
