Stone Soup

An uncluttered liquor cabinet in time for New Year’s Eve

With only five days left before New Year’s Eve, many people’s minds are already turning to their next round of celebrations. I’ve already started to think about the holiday — what resolutions will I make, what silly hat will I wear to the party, and what specialty drink will I have?

In the celebratory spirit, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about keeping an uncluttered liquor cabinet. Similar to traditional food pantries and linen closets, most liquor cabinets have a bad habit of things going into them faster than items coming out. Before you know it, you’ll find you have three open bottles of vermouth, two dripping bottles of Rose’s lime juice and another of the grenadine, and five bottles of the exact same type of gin. (Well, at least this is what I found lingering in my liquor cabinet.)

Start by pulling everything out of your liquor cabinet and setting it on your dining table. Group like items together — shakers with shakers, vodka with vodka, etc.

Now, evaluate what you have. Unless you are a serious socialite, you probably don’t need to own three martini shakers or nine bottles of rum. Pull out any excess or expired pieces. (Expired? Remember that vermouth is made with wine, so after a few months lingering open in your cabinet it starts to taste “off.” I haven’t found evidence that it’s actually bad for you, but its flavor is definitely shot by the time it’s been open for a year. Bailey’s can curdle, and some sweet liqueurs will fade.)

Pour down the drain any liquor past its prime. Freecycle or Craigslist extra bar utensils (now is a great time to do this as other people are gearing up for their NYE gatherings). And, start calling your friends throwing end of the year parties to see if they might want to take extra bottles off your hands. Either that or decide to throw a party yourself to work through the extras.

When putting bottles of liquor back in your cabinet, consider these storage tips from the article “What is the Shelf Life of Distilled Spirits?“:

Tips for increasing liquor shelf life:

• Keep opened bottles sealed tightly. Use the original cap, a replacement cork or the wine corks that also take the air out of the bottle.
• Never store liquor with speed pourers unless you’re using them, these allow air to get inside the bottle.
• Avoid exposure to extreme heat or cold. Also, keep your liquor cabinet away from an exterior wall.
• Avoid bright, direct light.

Similar to how you sorted items on your dining table, return items to your cabinet storing like things with like things. Put shorter bottles in front and taller bottles in back so that you can always see what you’re storing.

Also, check out the fun book Ultimate Guide to Spirits and Cocktails. Have fun starting the new year with an uncluttered liquor cabinet!

***

Don’t forget! If you’re in the Chicago area, join Erin and some of the Unclutterer staff at The Book Cellar on Monday, December 28, any time between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Posted by Erin on Dec 26, 2009 | Comments | http://unclutterer.com/?p=7749" title="?Post" rel="nofollow">

Tweet This --> Decluttering, Home Organization, Parties and Celebrations | -->

Related entries

13 comments posted

1. Posted by Bevin - 12/26/2009

   Wait… what? People have enough booze left over to necessitate decluttering?

   Seriously though, good advice. I didn’t know that about vermouth!

2. Posted by julia - 12/26/2009

   Vermouth…I use only small amounts of it but have never seen a small bottle of vermouth for sale. Too bad; a lot gets wasted when it’s time to throw it out.

3. Posted by Elaine - 12/26/2009

   people… have trouble finishing booze? ’splain please. I don’t understand this concept.

4. Posted by Shana - 12/26/2009

   Indeed. Where’s the (slightly tongue-in-cheek) suggestion that you drink the duplicates and old stuff? (I guess it’s only fair for Erin to get a new-mom pass just this once. )

   Good news is that vermouth is cheap. It’s the higher-priced short-shelf-life stuff that’s problematic….

5. Posted by Kathryn Fenner - 12/26/2009

   @Julia– you can enhance a lot of recipes with vermouth–white or red. Think about the kinds of foods that get better with a shot of wine and some herbs….Chicken, fish, pork….Beans (like pintos and navy and black beans) can be made really special with some top quality butter or oil and a shot of vermouth….sauces….

   I was grinning with the notion that one could probably find some appreciative folk on the street instead of pouring spirits down the drain, but that would be wrong….

6. Posted by infmom - 12/26/2009

   Just toss ‘em all. Why start every new year feeling like the bottom of a birdcage?

7. Posted by Mama T-Mag - 12/26/2009

   @Julia Ask! The owner of my liquor store can get me anything. And his favorite thing is little bottles of everything because they are easier to sell. If you don’t like it your only out a couple bucks. If you like it he’s got or can order a bigger bottle. Ask if small bottles can be ordered.

8. Posted by Elizabeth - 12/27/2009

   Ha ha ha! I pre-empted this article by several weeks when for some random reason I decided to go through my collection of bottles sometime around the start of December. Spirits not a problem. Tons of wine and champagne (mostly gifts which I have yet to get through). And for some completely unfathomable reason 6 (!!!) bottles of different types of mulled wine that I seem to have accumulated over the years without noticing. Time does not seem to have destroyed them yet, though.

9. Posted by Elizabeth - 12/27/2009

   Oh and quick tip (apologies if you already know this). But if you have opened a bottle of wine and can’t face finishing off what’s left remember that you can freeze it (red or white) in ice cube trays and then use the individual cubes to flavour gravies, sauces, stews etc.

10. Posted by OogieM - 12/27/2009

    Store opened cream spirits (Bailey’s and Emmets) in the refrigerator. They last a longer time that way.

11. Posted by kate - 12/27/2009

    @ Elizabeth….Thank you for that tip about freezing wine in ice cube trays. I had no idea…and I just keep it around forever until it turns into vinegar and I eventually pitch it.

12. Posted by c - 12/27/2009

    Another great way to combat liquor cabinet clutter is to create or choose a “signature cocktail” or two for your party; you can even print up a cocktail menu with two or three items. It means someone might have to play bartender, but it also means far less waste, and a swankier environment.

    Plus, if you plan wisely, you can use up what you have an excess of, control what new bottles your bring into your home —or both!!

13. Posted by Jackie Pettus - 12/27/2009

    The Bailey’s label says to store it at 41-77 degrees F, but since it has cream in it I keep it in the refrigerator after opening. On the other hand, maybe I ought to toss it. I think it’s the same bottle I’ve had since 1980!

Subscribe to this entry's comments

Post a comment

« Happy Holidays! 

 A year ago on Unclutterer »

-->

Don't move a muscle! Snowboarder balances just inches from edge of cliff

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:33 PM on 18th December 2009

• Comments (31)
• Add to My Stories

Clinging on for dear life on the edge of a towering cliff, this snowboarder is just inches away from certain death.

Austrian Kurt Welden, 31, realised he was heading for a cliff edge at the last minute and managed to stop in time.

Mr Welden had been enjoying the deep powdery snow at the Moelltal glacier in Carinthia, Austria when he travelled off the marked piste.

Just inches away from certain death, Kurt Welden had a lucky escape when he spotted he was heading straight for the edge of this cliff

The snowboarder lay flat on the snow and clung on, hoping that the snow would not give way

He managed to dig away the snow and hung on hoping that the board would not slip or the snow give way until he could be rescued.

It took rescue workers an hour to secure the area and eventually pull Welden free using a helicopter.

One said: 'The fear was that the snow that was at the edge of the cliff could have been dislodged, taking the man down with it.

'But in the end we managed to pull him to safety. He was shocked but otherwise unhurt.'

The Mölltal Glacier has more than 35miles of pistes and has a snowboard Fun Park.

It is a popular resort for international ski and snowboard teams preparing themselves for big ski events.

At its highest point it is more than 9, 800 feet above sea level.

Last year British doctor Robert Bruce died after skiing off a cliff while snowboarding in Val D'Isere in the French Alps

He struck a rock at an off-limits area known as Face de la Bellegarde and then plunged more than 260ft to his death.

The Moeltal glacier in Austria is popular with international ski teams

Print this article

Read later

Email to a friend

Share this article:

• Digg it
• Del.icio.us
• Reddit
• Newsvine
• Nowpublic
• StumbleUpon
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Fark

Comments (31)

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

Haha all that snow provbes NO global warming you are all so dum!

- Joe from America, America, USA, 21/12/2009 05:18

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

Not much global warming there!

- Michael J. Lee, Sheffield UK, 19/12/2009 17:21

Click to rate     Rating   (0)

Report abuse

Strange how everyone that gets in to trouble in this way is somewhere they are no supposed to be - then other people have to risk their lives to rescue them....

- Bren, Canada (ex Devon UK, 19/12/2009 17:19

Click to rate     Rating   51

Report abuse

idiot.

You NEVER ski off piste unless you know what is ahead of you.

Good work of the rescue teams

- AW, Surrey, 19/12/2009 17:09

Click to rate     Rating   52

Report abuse

Love it last time i looked it was 47 each

- pete, you aving a laugh.uk, 19/12/2009 16:08

Click to rate     Rating   9

Report abuse

JUMP you wuss JUMP.

- Boarder, Blackburn. Lancs., 19/12/2009 15:47

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.