Post #660553 by Swanky on Tue, Dec 4, 2012 8:48 AM

On 2012-12-04 07:39, AceExplorer wrote:

On 2012-12-02 06:09, poutineki wrote:
...I've never had anything go bad. Of course that's with the assumption that you're not adding fresh lime juice to the falernum. If so, the shelf life isn't that great even in the fridge. I'm not an expert so I won't argue against anyone saying adding 1/2 - 1 oz of booze to an entire bottle of syrup increases shelf life but I don't see how it could increase the alcohol content enough to really matter.

poutineki -- Adding the lime juice does seem to be problematic. Adding the neutral alcohol may help extend shelf life but certainly does not prevent spoilage with the exception of what I store in my freezer. I have not ever omitted the lime juice and I may try that in my next batch. Your feedback is helpful, many thanks.

I have often read here that "sugar is a preservative" but I have seen refrigerated 1:1 simple syrup develop clear "globs" if stored too long. So I am careful to monitor my stuff and write the born-on dates on my bottles.

The clear globs in your syrup are likely just the sugar precipitating out of the solution, not spoilage. My concern is mold growth on the surface or in the bottle elsewhere. When I have had stuff go bad, that is what happens.

You can help prevent your syrup from precipitating by adding a little citrus when you are making it to speed the process. You want to make sure the sugar fully seperates and becomes liquid. A couple of drops of lime juice is enough.

A good clean container is a big thing too of course.