Can anything bad happen to these liquors at room temp?

[Maverick2002]

I'm guessing no, but I don't know much about it. The following liquors, if kept at room temperature (after the bottles have been opened and some of it has been used):

-gin
-whiskey
-rum
-vodka
-jager
-kahlua
-tequila

Can any of them go bad like this? I have a bunch of liquor left. Some of the bottles are sealed so I keep them out, but for the open ones is there a need to refrigerate them?

 

[ahenkel]

You can leave them out the environment in the bottle is inhospitable to pathogens.

 

[mmntech]

As long as the caps are sealed and it's in a glass bottle, you'll be fine. Anything with high alcohol concentrations will last indefinitely. If it is exposed to air, alcohol does evaporate though, faster than water. It also attracts water. So the potency of your booze can drop over time. Some alcohols, such as sake, have a limited shelf life once exposed.

 

[Maverick2002]

Well the caps are not sealed (some of these have been opened and partially used), but everything is in a glass bottle. I don't think any of these will last more than 1 year. I'm not a big drinker, just like to have something from time to time and when I have people over without always going out and buying stuff.

Also, does refrigerating liquor then bringing it back to room temperature repeatedly have any negative effect on it?

 

[thepd7]

Well the caps are not sealed (some of these have been opened and partially used), but everything is in a glass bottle. I don't think any of these will last more than 1 year. I'm not a big drinker, just like to have something from time to time and when I have people over without always going out and buying stuff.

Also, does refrigerating liquor then bringing it back to room temperature repeatedly have any negative effect on it?

you're fine, all those will last well over a year. The ones you mainly have to worry about are cream based like Bailey's.

 

[Brainonska511]

If you keep the caps on, they'll last a long time. My parents have stuff sitting around that is at least 5-10 years old. They all still taste fine.

 

[Maverick2002]

Ok cool. I figured anything with milk or milk based like Kahlua/Baileys/chocolate liquors need to be fridged after opening .. and how long do those last once opened (if kept cool)?

 

[BurnItDwn]

If they are in direct sunlight it may not be the best, but, assuming they are on a shelf or something and not getting too much sun, they should be fine, I think I've got a bottle of gin from 2004 that still tastes fine...

 

[Brainonska511]

Ok cool. I figured anything with milk or milk based like Kahlua/Baileys/chocolate liquors need to be fridged after opening .. and how long do those last once opened (if kept cool)?

Hell, I even store those at room temperature. You can keep it chilled and it might store better. But something like Baileys is good till it starts to get lumpy (according to this: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070115194312AA7CPna ). It might not taste as good over a long-term storage, but it'll still be fine to drink.

 

[CRXican]

what do you think they do at the grocery/liquor store?

is this real life?

 

[ElFenix]

Ok cool. I figured anything with milk or milk based like Kahlua/Baileys/chocolate liquors need to be fridged after opening .. and how long do those last once opened (if kept cool)?

i kept a bottle of knockoff baileys in the garage for over 2 years and it was fine.

 

[MadScientist]

Depends on the liquor's content, Bailey's (17% alcohol) and possibly Kahula (20% alcohol) should be refrigerated for long term storage after being opened.

Jagermeister is 35% alcohol and could be stored at room temp, but it's best served cold.

Any liquors, i.e., gin, whiskey, scotch, rum, that are typically 40% alcohol and greater can be stored indefinitely at room temperature after being opened.

 

[BoomerD]

OMG! Don't do that...they'll get warm!



I keep a full cabinet stocked with booze. Most of it hasn't been opened in 6-7 years.
Maybe I should go on a binge and test each one to make sure it hasn't gone bad!
[drunk] No dear, I'm not getting drunk, I'm testing the safety of our liquor supply[/drunk]

In my younger years, I maintained the attitude that once you removed the cap from a bottle of booze, you just threw the cap away because the stuff would go bad overnight if you drank part and put the cap back on the bottle...
(great way to justify drinking the entire fifth!...which I did every night for a L-O-N-G time)