Author: James Anderson
How to Properly Store Liquor and Wine at Home
If you plan on making a bunch of cocktails, store your vodka in the freezer for about an hour before the party so it’s chilled. Take it out a few minutes ahead of serving, so it has time to thaw before showing off your mixologist skills. For long-term storage, vodka can be stored in the freezer or in a dark, cool place away from direct light. Fortified wines, such as port, sherry and vermouth, should be stored in the fridge after they’ve been opened. The colder temperature slows down the oxidation process and keeps the bottles fresher longer.
Whether you’re a liquor connoisseur, self-proclaimed mixologist, or just a lover of fresh cocktails, you probably have at least a small collection of hard alcohol at home. Once a bottle is opened, oxygen is introduced and flavors start to degrade; this is called oxidation. With more delicate liquors, oxidation happens faster than with higher proof spirits. The shelf life and quality of alcohol is dictated by three factors. However, just like any other passion project, the rewards are very satisfying, and that’s exactly why many people are into it. And if you don’t have a vintage sewing table on hand (who does, really?), don’t stress.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t find tasteful, spacially economical ways to display them. Here are nine of our favorite booze storage solutions for small spaces. The wood from the barrels tends to break down the harsher flavors in the alcohol, leaving you with a smoother taste the longer it stays in there.
Creative Cocktails With Orange Juice to Try at Home
Learn how long your favorite spirits will last, and whether they should be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Now if you feel like homebrewing is not your thing (or you want to give yourself more time to think about it), you can try bartending at home in the meantime. One great fact about whiskey is that you can make it in more-or-less the same way that it’s been made commercially for centuries. There’s no big difference between how they do it in big distilleries except you’d be doing it at a tiny fraction of the cost and in the comfort of your home.
- You can dedicate the entire surface to your liquor display, or mix your bottles with other decorative elements like a vase, sculpture, or stack of books.
- The places you can go to find good shelving are pretty similar to where you’ll want to search for cabinetry.
- There are plenty of beverage storage ideas out there for how to liquor bottle display.
- Etsy is always a safe bet for purchasing or finding inspiration.
As home bars have become more popular, small bar carts or tables have expanded. While storage cabinets and shelves are efficient, a table or cart will boost your bar vibe. You can even hang a glass rack over the top to increase storage and enhance the design. Since anything can work, any place you’d normally look for cheap furniture in your location is a good choice.
How to Properly Store Liquor and Wine at Home
Some of these places may offer free shipping for bulk orders when you’re stocking your bar. You can even use a TV stand or something you might find in a living room or home office. A quality office shelf without the office supplies makes for a great whiskey storage rack, or a place for wine glasses outside of your wine cabinets. You may find these ideas spark another way of displaying your bottles, or you may find something simple that works best for you. From creative ideas to cheap Ikea options, you’re sure to find liquor cabinet ideas that suit your liquor display needs. What works best for your bar will depend on what you serve and what kind of space you’re working with.
Pure ethanol is always dangerous especially with a heat source in the vicinity. But as far as drinking goes, the dangers are minimal, granted of course, that you follow the procedures to a tee and uphold safety at all times. There’s a reason why distilling at home without a license is illegal. You can seriously harm yourself and others even without getting to the drinking part. The stuff that makes you sick (pathogenic bacteria) will not likely survive in wine. Those that survive are just common spoilage bacteria, and while they can make your wine unpalatable, it will not seriously harm you unless you drink excessively.
White wine and rosé should also be recorked and stored in the fridge after opening. Homemade wine generally contains 10% to 12% alcohol and that’s when using awine kit. If via fermentation, homemade wine can reach a maximum of about 20% alcohol by volume (ABV), and that requires some level of difficulty. Homemade wine generally contains 10% to 12% alcohol and that’s when using a wine kit. It’s no surprise that more people are finding themselves with extra time on their hands, and learning how to make alcohol at home can be a good pastime. Though we may wish we did, most of us don’t live in homes with wine cellars or even enough space to accomodate our liquor collections.
Turn a sewing machine cabinet into a liquor cabinet
A liquor storage cabinet is a classic way to hold a large amount of liquor in an organized, aesthetically pleasing way. The options range from cabinets made specifically for liquor, to standard bookcases and shelves, to custom options. Showcase your prettiest liquor bottles alongside your book collection. Not only does liquor make a unique decorative addition to a bookcase (or China cabinet, like in the photo above), but it’s also a surprisingly convenient storage spot. It’s perfectly fine to chill your gin or tequila in the freezer before you drink it, but the cold temperature won’t extend the alcohol’s shelf life.
Tips, tricks, and endless ways to make more space in your life. You can easily wheel it between your kitchen and dining room whenever you need to mix a fresh cocktail. The bookcase’s petite size makes it easy to tuck into a kitchen nook or living room corner. After all, who doesn’t love to sip a glass of whiskey while curling up with a good book?
Making wine: Step-by-step process
Of course, you can always look at shelving for liquor in particular, but any sturdy shelving is a safe bet. To find out how you can declutter in your life, talk to one of our space experts. Open shelves in a kitchen or dining room are usually reserved for glassware and china, but why not add your fancy alcohol to the mix.
Typically, the label should tell you if refrigeration is necessary after opening, but there are other factors to consider when storing alcohol at home. Here’s a rundown of how to store different types of liquor and spirits, according to experts who work with them. Rum, whiskey (whisky) and gin can also be stored in a cool place after they’ve been opened. Similar to vodka, stick gin in the freezer for about an hour before serving to make a smooth, chilled martini. The biggest danger when making whiskey at home is the process of distillation.