Homemade falernum question

Hi folks,

I made a batch of falernum about 9 months ago, faithfully following the kaiserpenguin recipe.

http://www.kaiserpenguin.com/make-your-own-falernum/

I was disappointed at the time; the clove flavor overpowered everything else. I was doing spring cleaning today and went to pour it out today so I could wash and reuse the bottle. To my surprise, it still smelled fine when I opened the bottle. I poured a little on my finger and it was delicious! The flavor had mellowed over the months. My wife is concerned that it might have spoiled. There's definitely a vaguely dark cloud in the middle of the bottle, but there's absolutely no smell or taste of fermentation or rot. There was sugar when I bottled it, of course, but I strained out the lime zest and ginger--no other organics should have been present. Does anyone have experience with the shelf life of homemade liqueurs and syrups? Thanks.

On 2010-04-23 17:05, litlfrog wrote:
There's definitely a vaguely dark cloud in the middle of the bottle, but there's absolutely no smell or taste of fermentation or rot.

Ummm... your best bet is to pour it out and start again.

It is probably ok, but if you have a cloudy center then it has probably gone bad.

The smell usually gives it away, but the clove could be overpowering any fermentation or rot.

Generally Home Brew, when liquored up to at least 20% ABV, is good for three to six months in your average bottle stored under your bar (or any cool dark place). You can get more from some, less from others, but 6 months is a good target date.

In the fridge, you can get 9 months to a year, depending on what it is.

Beyond that, your taking a chance with your digestive tract.

As always, your mileage may vary.

OK, thanks. I was afraid of that. I'll make a new batch and go lighter on the cloves this time.