At what alcohol content does a beverage indefinitely remain 'safe' to drink

Wesley_Clark
Sat, 22 Feb 2025 01:07:04 +0000
Factual Questions

So its my understand that if you drink 80 proof liquors like whiskey or vodka that were opened and then resealed, they are still safe to drink decades later. The taste may not be as good due to things like oxidation, but they’re still safe. You won’t get food poisoning from them.

So is there a minimum proof a beverage has to be before it never spoils due to bacterial infection? I thought in the American colonial times, they were drinking beer that was only 2% ABV. Apparently if they left this beverage out, it would become safe to drink because even at that low ABV, it killed off the bacteria in the beverage over time.

What about other additives? Like if you mix sugar and whiskey together, is it still safe to drink 20 years later?

23 posts - 11 participants