REFRIGERATION. Discovering that vermouth needed to be stored in the fridge was a turning point in my career as a home bartender. If you’re an avid home bar enthusiast, chances are your fridge is overrun with bottles of this and that, from homemade syrups to various fortified wines.

Well, what actually should be stored in the fridge? Let’s talk.

The purpose of refrigeration is to keep products fresh longer. This is achieved by slowing the rate of oxidation – the inevitable introduction of oxygen into an open bottle, as well as by inhibiting the growth of bacteria that gets introduced into open containers. Oxidation is what spoils wine and turns fruit brown, and bacteria generally doesn’t do so well in cold conditions.

In addition to temperature, both oxidation and microbial growth can also be counteracted by other methods, which can be used to further minimize spoilage.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Higher alcohol content will limit spoilage potential due to bacteria, which cannot survive in such hostile conditions
• Storing things in the fridge will keep it fresh longer, but it may not necessarily spoil without it
• Anything lower than ~15% abv will likely benefit from refrigeration
• Sugar (like salt, vinegar, and alcohol) is also a preservative, so things with higher sugar content will fare better for longevity
• However, things with very high sugar content may crystallize – why you should not store brandied cherries like Luxardo in the fridge

With that said, here are some specific items to consider keeping in the fridge:

• Fortified wines (vermouths, sherries, ports, etc)
• Wine-based aperitifs (Byrrh, Bonal, other quinquinas, Lillet, Americano, Dubonnet, Pineau des Charentes, etc)
• Fruit-based liqueurs
• Cream based products (i.e. bourbon creams)
• Syrups, homemade or store bought (for homemade, consider adding a small splash of vodka to help further with preservation; also, artisan syrups are more likely to go ‘off’ after some time compared to super commercial syrups which tend to have more preservatives)
• Amaro or liqueurs to serve chilled (i.e. limoncello, very sweet amaro, etc)