Do you know how to store gin correctly? You might not realise it, but there is a right and a wrong way to store gin! By keeping your gin in the most appropriate conditions, you will help it retain its silky smoothness and, in the case of our grape-based gin, depth of flavour.
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The two main factors to consider when choosing a home for your gin are temperature and light. Both of these things can impact a spirit’s flavour and appearance.
We recommend storing your gin in the fridge. New bottles of gin need to be stored in a cool, dark place. 40F (4.44C) is the optimal temperature at which to store spirits. High temperatures speed up the ageing process of spirits and although gin has a longer shelf life than many spirits, it is important to keep it in the correct conditions in order for it to taste as delicious as the day it left the distillery!
Heat affects the flavour of flavoured spirits with a low pH the most, meaning gin can be especially vulnerable to high temperatures because of the citrus botanicals in gin.
It’s worth thinking about how long the gin is left in the back of your car when you bring it home. If possible, get it out of the heat as soon as you can.
When it comes to light, the darker the better. Gin tends to be bottled in clear or light coloured glass, which means more light reaches the spirit inside. If there is more exposed glass compared to a paper sleeve, this can also make gin more likely to age when exposed to light.
Of course, you can store your gin on a glam bar cart or special shelf – just make sure it isn’t exposed to too much light or heat. Away from the windows is a must! Definitely don’t store your gin on top of the fridge either, because it emits heat.
Another thing to think about when deciding how to store your gin is the cork, if your bottle has one. Bottles with a natural cork must be stored upright. If you lie these corked bottles on their side, the alcohol might cause the cork to dissolve a little bit into the gin, making it taste unpleasant. You won’t have this problem with artificial corks.
You should also ensure that you wet a natural cork before storing the gin bottle upright, to prevent it from drying out and cracking.
To slow the process of oxidisation down, keep your opened gin bottles in a cool dark place, away from heat and sunlight, and make sure the cap is screwed tightly on (if it’s a screw top bottle). At Sing Gin, we care about our environment so we keep our gin safe with a biodegradable cork stopper. When storing opened Sing Gin, just make sure that stopper is snugly wedged into the neck of the bottle!
There is another reason we recommend a tight lid – you don’t want any of that precious liquid to evaporate!
You’ll know if your opened bottle of gin has been stored incorrectly if it has lost its citrus notes and tastes like mothballs. Ugh!
One of our favourite hacks is pouring the remaining gin from a half-drunk bottle into a smaller bottle. Our mini 20cl bottle is perfect. This is a great way to store opened gin if you don’t think you will be finishing the bottle in the near future. Decanting leftover gin into a smaller bottle will help slow the process of oxidisation because the gin will be less exposed to the air. Less headspace equals less waste!
Yes, gin can absolutely be kept in the freezer! In fact, it’s probably the best place to store it. Gin won’t freeze because its ABV is at least 37.5% – too high to freeze. No danger of exploding gin bottles!
When you serve gin at a very low temperature, the mouthfeel is softened, and the texture becomes somewhat silkier, making it an even more pleasurable drinking experience!
Where do you store your gin? Take a picture and upload it to social media tagging us so we can see!
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