Deepa

Hi there, Discovered two bottles of Limecello, that we had bought in Italy, more that 2 years ago. My husband has been off alcohol due to medical reasons for the past 18 months, so we had all but forgotten about these.

They do not have any date on them but on looking at them, they seem to have a few small particles floating in them, more like sediments. Wondering if it is still okay to use or to give to a friend, or should we just play it safe and trash them. Pity if we have to do that, tho.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Deepa

Apologies for the typo - I mean Limoncello.

cmt

Don't trash them unless you try them and dislike them. If they were opened some of the alcohol may evaporate, but that's not harmful.

TexasAggie

The high quantity of alcohol should have kept anything from spoiling. We still have bottles of orangecello and lemoncello that are a couple years old and they are fine. We store them in the freezer

Deepa

Hi there, They are unopened bottles, but not kept in the freezer and it is pretty humid, here in Hong Kong. Was thinking of giving them to a friend.

LoveItaly

Hello Deepa, I was at a nice restaurant some years ago and we were in the lounge having a drink while waiting for a table.

Suddenly several policemen came into the lounge. It turned out that they were there to check the quality of the liquor at the bar. First and only time I have ever seen this done. I got into a conversation with one of the policeman and he said they check the various bar liquor in their city on a rotating basis. They shined their flashlight on the bottle. If they saw any sediments it meant that the liquor was no longer safe to drink. This lounge passed the inspection btw.

Sooo, since you have "something" floating in your lemincello bottles I would personally throw them away.

StCirq

You were thinking of giving them to a friend? Why? Because they're old and have sediment? I'm not following you.

At any rate, they should be fine, despite the sediment. Limoncello has such a high alcohol content, I doubt anything serious could be brewing in them. Just strain the contents. And a quick taste should tell you if anything is seriously amiss.

Deepa

Thanks, LoveItaly and all others for replying. Decision taken - to the bin.

Love this forum. Started this thread about half an hour ago, and I have the answer to something I have ebeen pondering about for a week.

Deepa

StCirq, The reason I thought of giving them to a friend is that we cannot use them. My husband is still off alcohol and will be so for the forseeable future and I do not touch alcohol due to allergies. So when I saw the bottles last week, I thought that if they are still okay, at least a friend could use them since we had lugged them back all the way from Italy.

StCirq

So, Deepa, it's time to make a limoncello cheesecake! If you do a search on Fodor's, I think you'll find my recipe. Happy eating!

cmt

The vast majority of us told you we thought it would be OK. Now you post saying you have the "answer" and you're throwing it out. I don't get it.

Jocelyn_P

"Suddenly several policemen came into the lounge. It turned out that they were there to check the quality of the liquor at the bar."

LoveItaly, that struck me funny. At first I thought you meant they were going from bar to bar actually tasting samples of the limoncello "to make sure it's okay" lol.

callmbc

I just took a sip of my Limecello that I got 2 years ago and has been in my freezer and it tasted yummy.

Betsy

Deepa, NO! NO! Don't drink it whatever you do. It could have spoiled! Send it to me!

Deepa

Cmt, The time I posted that I have made the decision, I had only seen 3 posts (StCirq posted at the same time as me)and the first two weren't entirely sure (one had frozen their's)and LoveItaly's post seemed really sort of conclusive at the time.

Italyforme

ive had mine for over 2 years, did keep in the freezer for first 6 months but, now in cupboard, I had a glass the other day and it tasted the same and Im still around. So I wouldnt worry about it, just explain to your friend that you have had for a while but should be ok (especially as been unopened or as previous poster suggested sieve it first) sure they will understand given your husbands situation. If someone gave me a 2 year old liquor I'd risk it.

bellastar

I just finished the last of a bottle of homemade Limoncello that friends in Italy gave me year before last, and unless I'm dreaming, I'm still fine, so hope you didn't really toss yours out.

cmt

My father had many bottles of opened liqueurs that he kept for years. They did not become "dangerous" to drink. The only problem is that when they aren't closed tightly enough, the alcohol evaporates. Although I'm not aware of it, it's possible that some liqueurs may taste better if opened and consumed when young, but even if that's true, it doesn't mean that they become unsafe to drink if they sit unopened for a few years. I wouldn't be concerned about sediment at all.

ira

Hi Deepa,

We had an open bottle of Limoncello, that was very good when it was new, that we kept in our refrigerator for about a year.

It had sediment and had gone sour.

amyb

I think the bigger question is, how you got the limoncello to stay on the shelf that long??? Mine seems to be more popular than that!