# How long does Irish Cream stay good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572 "2011-07-28T01:23:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/21 "2011-08-03T15:04:07Z")
> [@FalconFinder](#): > > I want to get a second opinion. Hopefully, someone here will have had a similar experience and can say one way or another: > > I was given a bottle as a gift in late January. It sat in my cupboard (opened once for a recipe I tried) from then until about two weeks ago. My apartment is on the second floor of a very old building and there’s only a tiny little window a/c unit to attempt to keep it cool in here. > > The bottle was exposed to temps ranging from 76-88 degrees in the past month and a half. > > It smells fine. I have not poured any out to see if it had chunks or anything in it. I moved it into the fridge during the heatwave when I remembered it sitting in my cupboard. > > Bailey’s customer service will only say they won’t “guarantee freshness” and suggest not drinking it. > > What could have happened to it? The only thing I can think of is that the milk aspect may have spoiled from the heat, but surely that would be noticeable. Pour some out and see what it looks like, if it’s chunky or smells sour I definitely wouldn’t drink it. If it seems normal, have just a small taste to test it. That said, I haven’t tried mine yet. 😉 But that’s just because I keep forgetting about it again… ---
**Author:** ![FalconFinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@FalconFinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FalconFinder)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/22 "2011-08-03T18:16:06Z")
That’s kind of what I was thinking I’d do. I’m kind of afraid to! LOL ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/23 "2011-08-04T00:34:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Hot chocolate. Best with Swiss Miss Rich Chocolate or Indulgent Dark Chocolate Sensation. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/24 "2011-08-04T13:26:16Z")
> [@FalconFinder](#): > > That’s kind of what I was thinking I’d do. I’m kind of afraid to! LOL Do like people do when they’re testing an unfamiliar plant for edibility. 😉 Put just a drop on your tongue at first, and if it doesn’t seem bad, try a larger taste. I imagine it would be fairly obvious right away if the milk had spoiled. I rather think it would be detectable by smelling alone. At least I know mine hasn’t been exposed to undue heat, so I’m pretty confident it’s okay. Maybe I’ll have a wee tea with it this evening. ---
**Author:** ![FalconFinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@FalconFinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FalconFinder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/25 "2011-08-04T19:05:08Z")
Well, I just poured a tiny bit in a glass after swirling it around in the bottle to make sure if there were any solids they wouldn’t be stuck at the bottom or anything. Looks fine, smells fine – and I did a tiny taste test and it seems to taste fine. So, perhaps I dodged a bullet? I don’t really drink the stuff, I used it to make some delicious brownies back in March. Perhaps that bottle will be relegated to baking so that anything bad can get cooked out and if I ever decide to drink some, I’ll get a new bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/26 "2011-08-05T15:08:26Z")
> [@FalconFinder](#): > > Perhaps that bottle will be relegated to baking so that anything bad can get cooked out and if I ever decide to drink some, I’ll get a new bottle. That’s a good idea. And Irish Cream Brownies… that’s another good idea. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FalconFinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@FalconFinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FalconFinder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/27 "2011-08-05T21:25:17Z")
They were FABULOUS: > **[bailey's irish cream bars recipe | irish recipes | st. patrick's day recipes](https://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/stpatricks/baileys-irish-cream-bars.htm)** > > st.patrick's day recipes, try one of irish recipes including our bailey's irish cream bars recipe. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/28 "2011-08-05T21:33:41Z")
For the record, Baja Rosa does not stay good when kept on a non-refrigerated shelf for a year. That was vileeeee. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/29 "2011-08-05T23:53:22Z")
I saw some small bottles of Bailey’s for sale one time – not small as in airline samplers, but rather enough for a few drinks – and bought it just because it looked cute sitting on the shelf at home as a decorative item. Then one day after moving it – this was some years later – we could see enough through the smoky glass to tell that there was no liquid movement. The entire contents had solidified. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572/30 "2011-08-07T00:51:58Z")
Eeeeeewwwwwwww… Er, that was in response to the “solidified bottle” post, not the “Irish Cream Brownies recipe” post… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-irish-cream-stay-good/590572.md?page=1)