Exact number of days you can keep Christmas drinks for after opening

In my house, opened bottles of alcohol don’t last long enough to worry about. Even over Christmas…

Yes, December is the one month of the year where it’s acceptable to indulge in the full gamut of drink styles all at once, from wines of all descriptions, port, sherry, spirits, aperitifs, digestifs, liqueurs, you name it. So, there’s bound to some half-drunk bottles lying around come Boxing Day.

It’s no surprise, then, that around this time I’m asked one question above any other: ‘How long can I keep my booze after opening it?’

It’s a fair question. I mean, can alcohol actually go bad? When do you need to whack it in the fridge and for how long? Is room temperature ok, and what actually is room temperature?

How long can you keep drinks for after opening?

As a rule of thumb, anything fermented such as wine, sherry, or port is susceptible to perishing once it’s in contact with oxygen and warmer temperatures, so an open bottle would benefit from being stoppered and kept in the fridge. Alcohol is Botox for drinks, a preservative which keeps flavours fresh and youthful, killing microorganisms that negatively influence the flavour.

The fridge effectively puts the drink into hibernation, a cryogenic chamber that delays its inevitable decline and giving it a longer life span. The cooler temperature reduces oxidation, slowing the rate at which oxygen interacts with alcohol and preserving the delicate flavour compounds in the wine.

Spirits, on the other hand, have already undergone massive temperature fluctuations and also have higher alcohol levels to protect them, so can be stored in the cupboard at room temperature. My preference is the freezer, but then I’m a sucker for Baltic-temperatures when it comes to spirits.

For the best and worst places to store unopened wine, check out the column I wrote about that last year. Spoiler-alert, the kitchen is the worst place in the house. As for room temperature, 15 – 25°C is suggested by The European Pharmacopoeia and Merrian-Webster as ‘being suitable for human occupancy’. Room temperature for wine is actually at the cooler end of this range, we’re talking 15-18°C.

Your storage area for anything fermented and unopened, however, should be kept between 10-15°C, with 13°C being the Goldilocks temperature. You’ll get the specifics from my storage piece, but the area needs to be dark, vibration free and with a constant temperature that doesn’t fluctuate.

How long open bottles of wine last

Leftover wine isn’t a thing, it’s called ‘unfinished’. White and rosé will have 2-3 days and sparkling wine roughly the same time. Remember, they have to be well stoppered, and please ignore the teaspoon in the neck of the bottle trick. Red wines can last 3-5 days in the fridge, but don’t forget to leave them time to gently warm up as full-bodied reds taste harsh and tannic straight after all-night fridge-chilling. Oh, and dessert wines can go on for a week or so before falling apart.

How long open bottles of sherry and port last

Christmas is Sherry and Port’s time to shine, two styles I believe are criminally confined to the festive season. I mean, have you ever tried a chilled Fino sherry with salted almonds on a summer beach holiday? You need to. Both are fortified styles of wine, meaning their alcohol content has been ramped up via adding a grape spirit. Despite this process, they are still susceptible to rapid-ish decline once opened. The lighter styles of sherry (Fino, Manzanilla) have about a week’s lifespan in the fridge, the more oxidised styles (Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso) last about a month, while cream sherries and the super treacly Pedro Ximenez have the sugar to keep them for at least three months.  On the port side, ruby and reserve styles will last a few weeks, tawny port can last up to 6 weeks, while vintage port should be polished off after 3-5 days.

How long open bottles of vermouth last

Sounds like you’re making Martinis, my favourite. Vermouth is a fortified wine that’s been infused with botanicals. You should therefore treat it like any wine-based product and keep it in the fridge from the minute it’s open. Once there, it can keep for around a month. Sweet vermouth lasts longer than dry, for obvious reasons. Look for signs of the vibrancy waning to it smelling of soaking-wet dog and you’ll know to replace it.

How long open bottles of Marsala and Madeira last

Both are fortified wines, only Marsala is from Sicily, whereas Madeira is produced on the eponymous Portuguese islands, with flavours ranging from dry to lusciously sweet. Both are seen as virtually indestructible, though their alcohol component breaks down after 6 months or so, even in the fridge.

How long open bottles of beer last

As we know, warm beer is the worst, so it should always be refrigerated. A leftover, open bottle or can of beer will last 1-2 days in the fridge, craft beer with a higher abv will go on slightly longer. Not that this has or will ever happen…

How long open bottles of liqueur last

Cream-based liqueurs (Sheridan’s, Baileys, Mozart etc) can last up to 6 months after opening, so there’s no rush to polish them off. Check for curdling as a telltale sign of decline. Fruit or herbal liqueurs like Grand Marnier, Chartreuse or Cointreau can last up to a year if they’re sealed correctly and kept fridge based.

How long spirits last for once open

High alcohol spirits like vodka and gin are more stable than wine or beer, so they’ll last forever at room temperature. Fridge or freezer-chilling helps to keep their super subtle flavours in place, it also makes them smoother on impact with your throat. The high alcohol also prevents them freezing.

MORE: The UK’s top 10 songs for driving home at Christmas includes a controversial hit

MORE: X Factor killed the Christmas Number One — but there’s still hope

MORE: Aldi customers have just days to snag £100 off their Christmas shop