Alcohol is a preservative. That means alcoholic drinks, and particularly alcoholic spirits can last for a really long time. So, people often have multiple bottles open at any one point. But what about alcohol-free drinks? As these don’t contain alcohol it works a little differently.

Do Alcohol-Free Drinks Keep?

Non-alcoholic drinks tend to keep less than their alcoholic counterparts simply due to the fact that they do not contain alcohol. That said, if you store them correctly, you can make your alcohol-free drinks last longer.

How To Store Your Alcohol-Free Drinks

The best way to know how to store your alcohol-free drinks is to read the label and follow the instructions. When storing alcoholic drinks we can be a bit blasé about reading the label, but to prolong the life of your zero-alcohol drinks it makes sense to follow the instructions.

Alcohol-Free Wine

Alcohol-free wine should be stored somewhere that is cool like a fridge, cellar or garage. Red wine, even if you prefer to drink it warm, should be stored somewhere cool. If you have a big enough fridge this is the best place to store all your alcohol-free wine.

If you have an opened bottle of non-alcoholic wine it should be kept in the fridge. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine is likely to stay good for a couple of days, and other wines will be okay for between two to four days, after this you will start to notice a difference in the flavour. To keep the sparkle in your sparkling wine make sure to have a good bottle stop!

Alcohol-Free Beer

Non-alcoholic beer should also be kept somewhere cool such as in the fridge, a garage or a cellar. When they are unopened, alcohol-free beer cans and bottles will last a while.

When serving alcohol-free beer you should use the same general rules as when serving beer with alcohol in. Most beers should be served at a warmer temperature than you would expect, to get a full flavour. So when drinking an ice-cold beer in the summer you will not get the full flavour.

Heavier alcohol-free beers, like dark beers, are best served at temperatures between 11-15 ℃ whilst lighter alcohol-free beers, such as Pilsener style beers, should be served at temperatures between 5-7 ℃.  

Alcohol-Free Spirits

Whilst it is nice to have a large range of spirits open and on the go, unless you get through your drinks quickly it makes sense to have only 3 or 4 on the go at once. That means you should try and open drinks with different uses and flavours to increase the range of alcohol-free cocktails you can make.

Unopened, you should store alcohol-free spirits somewhere cool, but it doesn’t need to be in your fridge. Once opened most alcohol-free spirits state that they should be consumed within between 2-6 months, and they should be stored in the fridge.

Some alcohol-free spirits contain kombucha or live bacteria. These need to be stored correctly to avoid secondary fermentation. When stored in a fridge or below a certain temperature the yeast is no longer active so the drink cannot ferment. However, if you store these above that temperature, the yeast can start fermenting and turning any sugar in the drink into alcohol. So make sure to keep these drinks in the fridge.

Craft Sodas

Craft soda can be stored anywhere cool and can remain unopened for a long time. However, once it is opened it is usually advisable to drink it within a day or two. These drinks very quickly lose their fizz.

Try JOMO To Regularly Update Your Drinks Collection

Want to dive into the world of non-alcoholic drinks but don’t know where to start? Then try JOMO.

With a JOMO subscription, you will receive a mindfully curated box, filled to the brim with alcohol-free goodies. Each box contains:

• One full-sized bottle of an alcohol-free spirit

• Cocktail recipes, mixers and garnishes to pair with the spirit

• A range of ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages

• Tasty bar snacks

• A magazine with everything you need to know about the drinks in your box.

With a JOMO subscription, you can regularly update your drinks collection with just the right amount of drinks. This way you can discover your new favourite drink and explore the world of zero-alcohol drinks.