Is this gin safe to drink?

June 24, 2024 7:41 AM

There's a mason jar filled with gin and blackberries that's been sitting on a kitchen counter for about 10 months. The house has central heat and air, so no temperature extremes and the kitchen has no direct sunlight. Is the gin safe to drink?

The concern is that since the blackberries have remained in the gin the entire time, that may cause...something... according to some people, but I'm like, it's gin and a mason jar, it's fine.

posted by Brandon Blatcher to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I would drink that gin without even a second thought. If it passes a visual inspection, you should be fine.
posted by scolbath at 7:57 AM on June 24 [5 favorites]

Yes. The gin is safe to drink.

May I suggest a bramble? You probably won't even need the creme de mure given your current inventory.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:18 AM on June 24 [2 favorites]

There is some possibility that infusing blackberries that long may impart a bitter taste or other off flavors, although it's an open question as to whether this will be a deal-breaker. The only way to find out is to try some. If you're planning on sweetening it and it tastes otherwise okay but a little too bitter "straight," I'd suggest sweetening a small sample to see if you can arrive at something you like. That way, if the bitterness remains unpalatable even when sweetened to the maximum, you won't have wasted a lot of time and sugar. Regardless, it certainly won't be unsafe to drink. It may have thrown off sediment that you'll want to filter out.
posted by slkinsey at 8:18 AM on June 24 [3 favorites]

Assuming this is a typical gin (around 80 proof, ie 40% alcohol by volume), and assuming the containers have remained sealed to the point there was no appreciable evaporation, then this seems like a pretty typical amount of time for flavor infusion with something like berries. The standard recommendation is to keep in a cool, dark location in your house, but that's more to avoid off flavors than anything dangerous happening. Were it mine (and were I still drinking ), I'd have zero qualms about drinking it, assuming it tasted good (or good enough to add to other mixers).
posted by solotoro at 8:44 AM on June 24

I would drink it. I never did gin, but I tried fruit infused vodka a few times and the blackberry infused stuff was, by a considerable margin, the best.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 10:04 AM on June 24 [1 favorite]

Another vote for safe to drink. If it’s bitter due to being over infused you can add simple syrup to turn it into a liqueur.
posted by fox problems at 10:09 AM on June 24

I’ve made the River Cottage blackberry whisky several times, which is blackberries, whisky and sugar, left at room temperature for months.

I had one batch where the fruit and liquid developed a kind of grey cloudiness, which I threw out, but every other time it’s been delicious and I’ve drunk the whisky, then eaten the blackberries.
posted by penguin pie at 1:55 PM on June 24

Response by poster: Photo of the jar
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:38 PM on June 24 [2 favorites]

Yes, I'd strain out the blackberries and sediment (having infused berries in vodka before, my experience is that they will Not be tasty once pale like that) and try the gin - agreed that the most likely problem would be bitterness. Probably why my recipe added a bunch of sugar to the berries and vodka.
posted by ldthomps at 4:36 PM on June 24

Thank you! Your question reminded me that I had to strain a nectarine liqueur we made last summer, so the same time frame. My batch is currently filtering and tastes great. I'm sure yours will be fine as well (your pix shows that alcohol is an excellent preservative)! As others have suggested, avoid the sediment. If it is bitter, before you decide it's no good, lean into the bitterness and try it with some soda water and citrus for a blackberry G&Tish cocktail.

If it helps: for straining, I put mine first through a fine colander to catch the fruit, then into a nut milk bag (because I had one), and it's now slowly dripping thru a coffee filter.
posted by jenquat at 5:10 PM on June 24

Yes, I would drink it, as long as there are no off flavors- not because I expect anything to be dangerous, but because sometimes fruit infused for a long time can become bitter, or the fruit at the top that's in the air can become oxidized. I make a lot of fruit liqueurs and sometimes I forget about them. They sometimes aren't as pretty or tasty as if I remembered to filter and finish them at three weeks, but they don't usually go bad.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:48 PM on June 24

As long as all of the fruit is submerged in the alcohol, you're fine. If the fruit is exposed to the air it starts to rot. The taste is not as great if it's infused for a crazy amount of time, but I haven't noticed any off flavors in vodka or rum that's say for 6 months or so.
The fruit will probably be gross if you try and eat it in any way- don't. Just toss it. There isn't anything you can make with it that won't be gross, even if you mash it up and try to mix it with sugar or anything. Please, take my word for it. Every year I think I've figured it out and every year I have to wash my mouth out because it's so foul.
The alcohol is great, though.
posted by shesaysgo at 6:04 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]

Photo of the jar

Okay, now that I see this it's clear that the blackberry-infused gin is a major health hazard and you should dispose of it. The bad news is that it's difficult to find a disposal facility with the capability of handling such a virulent and dangerous substance. The good news is that I am such a facility, and would be willing to take custody of the jar and see that its contents are rendered safe via hepatic filtration.
posted by slkinsey at 6:44 AM on June 25 [8 favorites]

As long as the berries remained below the line of the gin it will be safe. I too would strain out the berries and drink the remaining. Enjoy!
posted by terrapin at 10:39 AM on June 25

I make a liquor with cheap vodka and plums (plus rock sugar) that sits for about six weeks in my basement, covered. When it's done sitting, I strain the plums out and it is delicious. Short answer: go ahead and enjoy! I think it will be spectacular :)
posted by bluesky43 at 3:29 PM on June 25