What do you still have in your drinks cabinet?
 

I was just reading the post from someone asking if 2 year old limoncello was still OK. It started me thinking about the far corners of my own drinks cabinet, filled was part used and unopened bottles, bought on holiday and never consumed. I too have a bottle of limoncello - more than 2 years old - but I haven't checked it for sediment. There's a bottle of an almond liqueur, picked up in Turkey. Half empty bottles of ouzo and tsipouro from Greece, as well as a couple of bottles of Metaxa - one in a fancy decorated bottle that claims to be "very old" (I'm not sure how you define "very") also some slivovic from the Czech Republic.

Somehow all these things tasted much better in the sunshine on my holiday and the intended recipes have never materialised. I must have a tasting (or sniffing) session to see if any of these are still fit for human consumption ;)

Its not just people who store old bottles of spirits, I've even seen shops trying to sell it, imagine trying to drink a whisky that's 20 years old!

Geordie

I agree with you Geordie, they should sell it at a discount, especially when it only has 1 malt in there ;)

Or even worse, trying to sell a drink that tastes of peat. They should be giving it away!

Where do I line up?

Anselm

I think everyone must have millions of liqueurs that have only been "tasted" then discarded.

The other day I found a vintage bottle of parfait amour. It still tastes perfectly alright - anything with 25% plus alcohol (and not fruity, i.e. a clear drink) tends to keep perfectly. And countless bottles of unopened blended whiskys which just aren't my thing.

Creme de menthe is a perfect example of a liqueur that really has to be mixed into a cocktail, otherwise it's truly hideous.

I hazard a guess that anyone who's been to Greece has a dusty old bottle of Ouzo at the back of the cupboard. Seems such a good idea when you're at the Greek airport, but my God that stuff is rough.

Oh, and Limoncello barely survives the taxi ride home from the airport in my house.

One day, while helping my mother clean out the kitchen, we found a bottle of Rock&Rye that was at least 25 years old. It was a hoot to find it--do they still even sell that stuff?
Neither my mother nor I ever drank it, so my husband was enlisted to be the taste-tester*. Seemed to be ok.

*My husband is the designated family and friend tester of all things unusual. At a neighborhood dinner party, we all got into a discussion over how strong the electric shock is on those invisible dog fences. My husband strapped the dog's collar around his neck and ran past the fence's perimter. Verdict: not that bad (but OTOH the dog doesn't have the option of drinking the better part of a bottle of pinot noir beforehand).

I think Ouzo is great! Mix 50/50 with water and put it with 1 large ice cube in a small glass!

Grappa, OTOH, is filthy stuff.

I've got some 15+ years old bottles of Kahlua and Galliano sitting in my wetbar.

I have an old French dessert wine that was so sweet no one at the dinner party (years ago) could drink much of the first bottle so this one was never opened. Why do I still have it?

I moved to Florida in 1973. At a going away party someone gave me a huge bottle of Galliano (remember the drink of the day -- Harvey Wallbangers?) A couple years ago I opened it up and poured it down the sink.

Should I throw out that plum wine that was a gift from a Japanese guest about 25 years ago?

No. If it's umeshu it will be delicious with an ice cube. Think of it as dessert.

I'm not a fan of Ouzo, it's rather like paint stripper.

As for Galliano (the drink rather than the designer) it can be used to create a variety of champagne cocktails, a little naff, but then fruit cocktails are/soon-to-be were the thing this summer.

I have some vodka and tequila that i've had for years. I got rid of some Baileys I'd had forever..don't like it any more..I use brandy and rum for flavoring now and then. I got rid of some at least 10 year old creme de menthe a couple of months ago. Seems that when I DO drink anymore it's wine. I got a cooler to keep it stored so it won't go bad. Galliano..oh my, that's all I used to drink 40 years ago. Haven't touched the stuff in years.

I just checked our small collection. At the back of the cupboard, I found a bottle of 1944 Porto Guedes--"Genuine Port, Bottled in Portugal." Do I win a prize?

BTilke, I'm absolutely hysterical at the thought of your husband testing the dog collar. Funniest thing I've ever read on Fodor's.

I think perhaps the worst drink we were given was a bottle of Fernet Stock from the Czech Republic, rather like an awful but alchoholic cough medicine. My daughter (in her mid 20s) ended up taking it to a party where I gather it was used as some sort of forfeit in a drinking game - the winner/loser ended up rather sick in the garden :(

The '44 Vintage Port is probably drinkable.
I trashed a half empty bottle of Cointreau about ten days ago - it was muy malo.
M

I'm tempted to try it, mikemo. The cork separated when I tried to open it a few minutes ago.

Forgot to mention that the Cointreau was purchased in 1973.
M

I have a bottle of Hungarian brandy that I brought back with me one year, Vilmos kortepalinka. It was so nice to drink it in Budapest with Gypsy musicians strolling by as we sat under the stars, such a good memory. The alcohol is 40% and it is smooth, but I haven't opened this bottle in about 10 years.

I found an almost full bottle of Cinnamon Schnapps. Horrid stuff. Tastes like mouthwash.