Is it okay to leave pour spouts in liquor bottles over time?
December 30, 2004 9:15 AM   Subscribe

I bought several liquor bottle spouts to make pouring easier for a recent holiday party. Now I'm wondering if I can leave them in the bottles or not. I've got some cheapo $.75 diposables and some $5-ish automatic 1 oz. pourers that are much nicer. Assuming I use a given bottle only once a week or so, is leaving the pourers in a bad idea? Will my hooch evaporate? Will cooties crawl into the bottle (my apartment is largely cootie-free)? Is it just bad manners to leave them in? Please advise.
posted by etc. to Food & Drink (13 answers total)
 
It will evaporate, and some of the flavoring agents will oxidize and make the booze taste bad. Put the caps back on the bottles.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:24 AM on December 30, 2004


They sell toppers with "tops" too; As far as cooties, fruit flies are the usual suspects.
posted by AllesKlar at 9:28 AM on December 30, 2004


Be careful of fruit flies on liquor with sugar in it.

Also, the measured pour spouts are the work of the devil.
posted by hummus at 9:34 AM on December 30, 2004


Response by poster: Advice taken.

Thanks.
posted by etc. at 10:14 AM on December 30, 2004


Allow me to weigh in on the other side- the bar that I work at, and pretty much every bar around, leaves the tops in the bottles for convenience. The only time we get fruit flies is if we leave a bottle untopped or unsealed overnight. Now perhaps we don't experience the evaporation described above because we go through our stock fairly quickly, but some of those bottles (such as the various flavored schnapps that never get used, like Butterscotch) have been back there for over a year and nobody ever complains when they do get used. At home I leave my pour spouts in and never have a problem with it, but I also leave my liquor in the freezer when it's not in use (a practice I highly recommend).
In summation, my professional and personal experiences would suggest that no harm will befall your precious booze if you leave the pour spouts in. Happy drinking.
posted by baphomet at 10:42 AM on December 30, 2004


baphomet, I can tell you from personal experience that if you leave a bottle of Bourbon open for a week, it tastes like abject ass afterward.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:11 AM on December 30, 2004


And how would one know if butterscotch schnapps had gone bad, anyway? It's already bad.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:11 AM on December 30, 2004


baphomet, allow me to chime in. I bartended for 6 years. We left spouts on all bottles except for the cognac, the good scotch, pricy tequilas, and some of the rarely poured cordials. However, we also covered them with tiny dixie cups (or condiment-sized carryout containers) that kept the bottles clear of fruit flies. When ever we failed to cover the bottles, infestation set in, without fail. The cups did not form a seal, but the flies are blind and navigate by smell. Covering the bottles blocks the vapors just enough to keep the critters away. Also, just because you don't see flies, doesn't mean their eggs aren't inside your bottles. In NYC, the SLA (State Liquor Authority) and DOH will bring flashlights when they inspect your bar and they usually shine their torch up a swirling bottle or two (usually they hit the sloe gin first--it's sugary and sits there forever so it's a good bet), which shows the eggs. You'll end up pouring out your booze in front of the inspectors and will also get fined.

So in the end, keep the pourers on the cheap stuff, but cover them up.

On preview: Sidhedevil is right about bourbon. Also, tequila, scotch, and wine (whether distilled, fortified, or table variety) should not be allowed to breathe.
posted by mds35 at 11:33 AM on December 30, 2004


Sidhedevil and mds35: Though my personal experiences have attested otherwise I must defer to your superior knowledge and experience. Consider me standing and corrected. In fact, I'm going to bring a flashlight to work next time I bartend to see if any of our stock has been so infested. Thanks for imparting me with your wisdom. Indeed, when next I purchase a bottle of Maker's Mark or Hennessy I shall cover it for storage without fail.
posted by baphomet at 2:02 PM on December 30, 2004


Maybe I'm missing something, but aren't these tops basically a primitive float-valve?

I.e., neither air nor insects should be able to get to the liquor.

OTOH, putting the caps back on shouldn't really be such a big deal, unless you're tending bar every night...not an unusual thing to see after a big coctail party for an active party-set, in my experience....
posted by lodurr at 2:33 PM on December 30, 2004


errr...I didn't mean to come off as feeling authoritative, it's just that my own experience with fruit flies was, well, traumatic. I miss bartending and I greatly envy you, baphomet.
posted by mds35 at 2:49 PM on December 30, 2004


I just want to know how Sidhedevil knows how abject ass tastes?

And no, don't leave the pourers in, not only will the booze taste terrible, you'll have a hard time getting them back out of the bottle, should you decide to keep them.
posted by kamylyon at 5:09 PM on December 30, 2004


Hee! I'm never going to tell about my abject ass experiences.

baphomet, I can certainly believe that, with the rate of use in a bar, nobody notices any changes caused by air getting into the likker--the likkers that aren't used so often are generally a) already bad, and/or b) really sugary, aren't they?

However, here is my experience: A friend brought me a bottle of artisan Bourbon from a trip down South. I had some. It was ambrosial. It was incredible. It was a palate-exciting festival of subtle caramel and oaky flavors.

One day I decided I wanted some more delicious Bourbon. I went to the pantry and saw the bottle uncapped. {cue theme from Psycho here--bWEE! bWEE! bWEE!} Some harsh questioning later, it proved that my roommate's lame-ass boyfriend had made them highballs or something the previous week (EVIL!) and must have left the bottle uncapped (EVIL!)

Imagine my disappointment when it turned out that the formerly delightful Bourbon now tasted skunky. The difference in the taste was similar to the difference in a bottle of red wine that has been left open overnight; my only assumption is that the same kind of factors ruined it.

Also, "brown goods" are flavored with some pretty volatile oils. You don't want to drink a glass of single-malt that's been sitting out for more than a few hours, either, because it will taste like paint thinner instead of a symphony of peaty goodness.

In any case, I think that etc. should play it safe and follow the Punter's Method instead of the Barkeep's Method, because it didn't seem from his original post that he was pouring too often.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:25 PM on December 30, 2004


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