Many people love to drink coffee. However, one of the amazing coffee blended drinks is Kahlua. It’s a drink that consists of coffee and alcohol, which gives it more kick than pure coffee or alcohol.
Since the blending can alter shelf life, it’s ideal to know whether a bottle of Kahlua that has been lying in your pantry for a while is good to drink.
While base alcohol like vodka or gins can last for years, it is not the case with blended alcohols. But does Kahlua goes bad? Well, everything has an expiring date. Therefore, at one point, the drink will go bad.
Besides going bad, I will also reveal more details about this amazing drink to eliminate myths and misconceptions.
What really is Kahlua?
Kahlua is a brand of drink that contains arabica coffee, sugar, and rum. It is produced by a company known as Pernod Ricard in Mexico and Keurig Dr. Pepper in the US.
The liqueur was first produced in 1936 and given the name Kahlua, which means House of the Acolhua people.
Since the drink contains alcohol and coffee, it’s mostly used for cocktails, iced, or drink neat. Therefore, you can enjoy Kahlua at home or in restaurants.
One of the facts you need to know us the drink contains 20.0% alcohol. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t go bad. The sugar and coffee presence mean it has accelerated expiry than other alcoholic drinks.
How long does unopened Kahlua last?
When you take a base alcohol like spirit, it has a very long shelf life. Actually, unopened vodka can last up to 20+ years.
For Kahlua, the life span is significantly reduced. Actually, it has a maximum life shelf of 4 years.
Although it doesn’t go bad like other food, the quality significantly deteriorates. The presence of alcohol is the key to preventing the growth of microbes. Therefore, the expiry will be mostly the loss of drink quality rather than expiring.
How long does Kahlua last opened?
After opening your drink, you can expect it to go bad faster than an unopened bottle.
Despite the presence of alcohol, the volatility of coffee and gradual decomposition will accelerate quality loss.
If the drink is left for long opened after the expiry date, it will change its taste and smell. Therefore, when trying to consume it, the taste will be unappealing.
Opened Kahlua has a maximum shelf life of 2 years. However, how long is Kahlua good for once opened depends on the kind of storage.
Does Kahlua expire?
Does Kahlua have an expiration date? One of the surest things is the drink does expire. However, the expiry date depends on the storage.
Unlike Amaretto which can clock two decades without expiring, Kahlua has far less shelf life. Although the expiry doesn’t mean going bad, the drink will change its taste.
The coffee flavor will fade over time since it is highly volatile. However, the opened one will have less expiration than the opened drink.
Since the deterioration of coffee flavor doesn’t mean the drink is bad, you can still drink one that has passed the expiry date. However, you must ensure old Kahlua bottle isn’t tampered with, and storage is according to recommendations.
How to store Kahlua?
For your bottle of Kahlua to last as long as you wish, storage is vital. Leaving your drink exposed to elements will make it lose quality faster.
Although you can buy different types of Kahlua, the storage is the same. However, the taste after long storage will differ. For instance, there are ready-to-drink, flavored, and original Kahlua bottles.
The basics when storing Kahlua is to ensure it’s far away from light and heat. Normally, a good cabinet is a great place to ensure your drink is properly stored.
Apart from the storage place, choose the unopened bottles for long-term storage. If you want to store your opened bottle for long, use an airtight cap, preferably the original one.
For some people, they keep asking does Kahlua need to be refrigerated? As long you keep it in a dry and cool place, opened or unopened, Kahlua doesn’t need refrigeration.
However, it is ideal for people who use the drink regularly to refrigerate open ones. This helps to maintain the quality and extend lifespan.
Regardless of the type of Kahlua, you get storage is the same. Also, whether your drink is opened or unopened, you can still store it without refrigeration.
Kahlua FAQ
Can you freeze Kahlua?
Freezing Kahlua during storage isn’t necessary. But, you can freeze it before serving as it’s best served chilled.
Where does Kahlua come from?
Kahlua originated from Mexico. Currently, the liqueur is manufactured by Pernod Ricard in Mexico and Keurig Dr. Pepper in the US.
What’s Kahlua?
Kahlua is a coffee-based liqueur made from arabica beans and rum. The brand has different variations of Kahlua like Original Coffee Liqueur, Mint Mocha, Espresso Martini, Salted Caramel Liqueur and others.
How to know the expiry date of Kahlua?
If you want to determine the shelf life of Kahlua, it is recommended to check the product label on the bottle.
Toward the edge of the label, check for the numbers indicated there. The first four digits are the date of production. After the letter L, the following number indicated 9, which means production was in 2019.
After determining the year of production, count 4 years and see whether your drink is expired.
Summary
Determining what is the shelf life of Kahlua is great to ensure your drink is safe to consume. Even if the liqueur doesn’t really go bad, it loses freshness after the expiry date or opening.
For everyone who was asking whether does Kahlua go bad, now you have a definitive answer. Now you can enjoy your drink in peace.
