How to store hard liquors
Best place: the pantry. Hard liquors are shelf stable and keep indefinitely in a cool, dry cupboard.
Keeps indefinitely
from purchase
No guideline
No guideline
How hard liquors compare with other beverages
USDA FoodKeeper gives hard liquors one time: Keeps indefinitely in the pantry from purchase, and no figure for the other places. A blank usually means the food is not stored that way, not that the data is missing. The foods USDA lists next to hard liquors in beverages show the range for the group:
| Food | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut water | 12 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Coffee(first of 4 kinds) | 3 to 5 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Cream liquors | 6 to 8 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Diet powder mixes and drink mixes | 18 to 24 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Fruit Juice in cartons, fruit drinks, punch | 3 weeks | no guideline | no guideline |
| Juice, boxes | Use by the package date | no guideline | no guideline |
| Lemon juice(first of 2 kinds) | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Lime juice | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Nectar | 12 to 18 months | no guideline | no guideline |
| Nutrition supplement drinks(first of 2 kinds) | 2 to 5 years | no guideline | no guideline |
About beverages. Unopened juice, soda, beer and wine keep for a long time in a cool pantry, but milk alternatives and fresh juice spoil almost as fast as dairy once opened. Coffee and tea lose flavour gradually rather than becoming unsafe, so quality, not safety, is usually the concern. All beverages.
How to tell hard liquors have gone bad
General signs for beverages, the group USDA lists hard liquors under.
- Fizzy drinks that have gone flat or taste metallic
- Sour or curdled smell from opened juice or milk alternatives
- Cloudiness or separation that will not shake back together
- Cork pushed slightly out or wine that smells like vinegar
- Mould ring forming at the neck of a bottle or carton
More on beverages. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Refrigerate opened juice, milk alternatives and any dairy-based drinks, and use them within about a week. Store unopened cans and bottles upright in a cool, dark spot away from direct sunlight. Keep coffee and tea in airtight containers away from heat and moisture to preserve flavour longer.
How to store other beverages
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.