How Long Chocolate Liqueur Lasts And When You Should Toss It Out

Chocolate liqueur is a delightfully creamy and decadent addition to desserts and cocktails, from wintry spiked hot chocolate to extra-indulgent boozy Cosmic Brownie milkshakes. However, it's also one of those special ingredients that you probably don't enjoy every week, or even every month. This means it can all too easily get relegated to the back of the liqueur cabinet, only to be discovered months or years later. This begs the question: how long is chocolate liqueur good for, and how can you tell if it's gone bad?

According to Licor 43 Senior Brand Manager Kelly Rockers, it's best to consume Licor 43 Chocolate and other chocolate liqueurs within six months of opening for peak flavor. You'll also want to make some room in the fridge to store that precious bottle of velvety chocolate liqueur properly, Rockers noted. "To preserve a chocolate liqueur at its highest quality, we recommend that you avoid storing it in direct sunlight or at high temperatures," he explained. "The ideal method of storage is to keep it refrigerated." Plus, Rockers recommends serving Licor 43 Chocolate chilled between 32 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit, so the fridge keeps it perfectly chilled and ready to enjoy.

If you're reading this after discovering an old bottle of chocolate liqueur that you can't remember buying, you're probably wondering how to tell if it's gone bad. "Licor 43 Chocolate does not have an expiration date as the alcohol acts as a preservative," Kelly Rockers explained (this goes for most other store-bought chocolate liqueurs as well). However, that doesn't mean it lasts forever. When properly stored in a cool, dark place, unopened chocolate liqueur typically stays good for about two years, and once opened, it should last about 12 to 18 months (although, as Rockers noted, it's best to keep it refrigerated and enjoy it within six months of opening for maximum flavor and quality).

As for how to tell if your chocolate liqueur has turned for the worse, the good old sniff test works here. "If a chocolate liqueur has gone bad, you may notice a sour smell as opposed to its typical cocoa essence," Rockers said. If your chocolate liqueur smells or looks funky, it's best to err on the side of caution and toss it. If you're looking for ways to avoid the potential tragedy of spoiled chocolate liqueur and enjoy that open bottle at peak quality, Rockers recommends mixing up a fun, chocolatey twist on a Carajillo — pour 1.5 ounces of cold brew and 1.5 ounces of chocolate liqueur into a shaker with ice, shake it up, and enjoy the decadent, nuanced flavor of perfectly stored chocolate liqueur.