Before it turns

Use it up

The fresh and opened things that won't wait, shortest-lived first, each with the drinks that use the most of it.

Within each ingredient, drinks that need nothing else perishable come first — a recipe that uses up your cream but needs fresh mint and an egg white isn’t solving the problem — then the ones that use the most of it.

How long something keeps is given as a band, not a number of days. Packs, fridges and kitchens differ; check the label and trust your nose. For the version built around your own shelf, tick what you have in My Bar.

Use the same day

Loses what makes it worth using within hours. Squeeze or prepare it for the drinks you are making now, not in advance.

Espresso

Loses its crema within minutes and its aroma within the hour. There is no version of brewing it in advance that works.

Espresso Tonic — uses 50ml, nothing else perishable needed
Espresso Martini — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini — uses 60ml

Alcohol-free

Espresso Tonic — uses 50ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini — uses 60ml

Hot Coffee

Brew it for the drink you are making.

Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee — uses 150ml
Irish Coffee — uses 150ml
Vietnamese Coffee Cocktail — uses 90ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee — uses 150ml

A few days

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Alcohol-Free Sparkling Wine

As with sparkling wine, the bubbles go first — and with no alcohol there is less holding the flavour together afterwards.

Alcohol-Free Bellini — uses 100ml
Verjus Spritz — uses 100ml
Alcohol-Free Mimosa — uses 75ml
Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini — uses 50ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Bellini — uses 100ml
Verjus Spritz — uses 100ml
Alcohol-Free Mimosa — uses 75ml

Alcohol-Free Vermouth

Aromatised wine with the alcohol removed, so it has neither alcohol nor much sugar preserving it. Refrigerate and treat it like juice.

Alcohol-Free Negroni — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 50ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Negroni — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 50ml

Aquafaba

Chickpea brine. Refrigerate it in a sealed container and it whips for a few days; after that the foam gets unreliable.

Green Tea Sour — uses 20ml
Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Green Tea Sour — uses 20ml
Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 15ml

Black Tea, Strong-Brewed

Brew it on the day. Brewed tea goes flat within a day or so, and over-steeped tea cannot be rescued.

Smoked Tea Old Fashioned — uses 75ml
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Smoked Tea Old Fashioned — uses 75ml
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 15ml

Cinnamon Stick

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Alcohol-free

Coconut Cream

Separates and sours quickly once the tin is open. Decant what is left rather than leaving it in the tin.

Virgin Piña Colada — uses 60ml
Chi-Chi — uses 40ml
Piña Colada — uses 30ml
Bahama Mama — uses 20ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Piña Colada — uses 60ml

Cranberry Juice

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Virgin Sea Breeze — uses 120ml
Sea Breeze — uses 90ml
Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail — uses 90ml
Alcohol-Free Cosmopolitan — uses 60ml
Sex on the Beach — uses 50ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Sea Breeze — uses 120ml
Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail — uses 90ml
Alcohol-Free Cosmopolitan — uses 60ml

Cream

Dairy. Follow the carton, and note that acidic drinks will split cream that is anywhere near turning.

Brandy Alexander — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Grasshopper — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Golden Cadillac — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
White Russian — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee — uses 40ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Irish Coffee — uses 40ml
Virgin Piña Colada — uses 30ml

Cucumber

Once cut it goes soft and watery quickly, and a soft cucumber muddles to nothing.

Alcohol-free

Egg White

Separate it when you need it. A separated white left in the fridge whips worse each day.

Clover Club — uses 15ml
Ramos Gin Fizz — uses 15ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Grapefruit Juice

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Salty Dog — uses 130ml, nothing else perishable needed
Virgin Sea Breeze — uses 120ml
Sea Breeze — uses 30ml
Navy Grog — uses 30ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Sea Breeze — uses 120ml

Iced Tea

Brewed tea turns bitter and flat within a day or so, and the tannin that made it useful goes with it.

Arnold Palmer — uses 175ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 60ml

Alcohol-free

Arnold Palmer — uses 175ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 60ml

Lemon Juice

Degrades slightly more slowly than lime but on the same timescale — hours, not days.

Midori Sour — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Corpse Reviver No. 2 — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Sidecar — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed
White Lady — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed
Twentieth Century — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 25ml
Green Tea Sour — uses 25ml
Alcohol-Free Hot Toddy — uses 20ml

Lime Juice

Fresh lime juice starts changing within an hour and is noticeably duller by the next day — the bright top notes go first, leaving flat acidity.

Kamikaze — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Margarita — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Naked and Famous — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Rum Swizzle — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Mule — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Mule — uses 20ml, nothing else perishable needed
Kombucha Mule — uses 15ml, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Paloma — uses 15ml, nothing else perishable needed

Maraschino Cherry

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Alcohol-free

Mint

Wilts fast and bruises faster. Stand it in water like cut flowers rather than sealing it in a bag.

Alcohol-free

Orange Juice

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Screwdriver — uses 150ml, nothing else perishable needed
Harvey Wallbanger — uses 130ml, nothing else perishable needed
Garibaldi — uses 120ml, nothing else perishable needed
Virgin Sunrise — uses 200ml
Tequila Sunrise — uses 120ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Sunrise — uses 200ml
Citrus Cooler — uses 90ml
Alcohol-Free Mimosa — uses 75ml

Orange Wheel

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Alcohol-Free Spritz, nothing else perishable needed
Sherry Cobbler — uses 15ml
Sangria
Mulled Wine
Alcohol-Free Mulled Wine

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Spritz, nothing else perishable needed
Alcohol-Free Mulled Wine

Peach Purée

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Alcohol-Free Bellini — uses 50ml
Bellini — uses 30ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Bellini — uses 50ml

Pineapple Juice

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

French Martini — uses 45ml, nothing else perishable needed
Virgin Piña Colada — uses 120ml
Virgin Painkiller — uses 120ml
Chi-Chi — uses 100ml
Matador — uses 90ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Piña Colada — uses 120ml
Virgin Painkiller — uses 120ml
Virgin Mai Tai — uses 60ml

Sherry

A fortified wine, and the lighter styles oxidise fastest — a fino is effectively a white wine once opened.

Sherry Cobbler — uses 90ml
Adonis — uses 60ml
Bamboo Cocktail — uses 45ml
Fog Cutter — uses 15ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Sparkling Wine

Loses its carbonation within a day or two of opening whatever stopper is used, and the carbonation is the point.

Death in the Afternoon — uses 135ml, nothing else perishable needed
Kir Royale — uses 115ml, nothing else perishable needed
Chambord Royale — uses 115ml, nothing else perishable needed
Aperol Spritz — uses 90ml, nothing else perishable needed
Black Velvet — uses 150ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Tomato Juice

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Bloody Mary — uses 120ml
Bloody Maria — uses 120ml
Bloody Shame — uses 120ml
Michelada — uses 60ml

Alcohol-free

Bloody Shame — uses 120ml

White Wine

Oxidises within days of opening, faster than any fortified wine, and a spritz made from a tired bottle tastes of nothing but its mixer.

Kir — uses 135ml, nothing else perishable needed
Wine Spritzer — uses 120ml, nothing else perishable needed
Bicicletta — uses 60ml, nothing else perishable needed

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Whole Lime (wedges)

Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Caipirinha — uses 15ml, nothing else perishable needed
Hugo Spritz — uses 15ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Weeks once opened

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Agave Syrup

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Oaxaca Old Fashioned — uses 5ml, nothing else perishable needed
Tommy's Margarita — uses 15ml
Alcohol-Free Margarita — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Margarita — uses 15ml

Cream of Coconut

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Painkiller — uses 60ml
Virgin Painkiller — uses 30ml
Blue Hawaiian — uses 30ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Painkiller — uses 30ml

Dry Vermouth

Same as sweet vermouth, and less forgiving — a flat dry vermouth is what makes people think they dislike Martinis.

Brooklyn — uses 25ml, nothing else perishable needed
Martini — uses 10ml, nothing else perishable needed
Gibson — uses 10ml, nothing else perishable needed
Bamboo Cocktail — uses 45ml
El Presidente — uses 15ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Grenadine

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Virgin Sunrise — uses 15ml
Tequila Sunrise — uses 15ml
Shirley Temple — uses 15ml
Bacardí Cocktail — uses 15ml
Jack Rose — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Sunrise — uses 15ml
Shirley Temple — uses 15ml
Roy Rogers — uses 15ml

Honey Syrup

Diluted honey ferments more readily than honey does. Refrigerate it and look at it before pouring.

Alcohol-Free Hot Toddy — uses 25ml
Gold Rush — uses 22ml
Hot Toddy — uses 20ml
Bee's Knees — uses 20ml
Green Tea Sour — uses 20ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Hot Toddy — uses 25ml
Green Tea Sour — uses 20ml

Lager

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Shandy — uses 250ml, nothing else perishable needed
Michelada — uses 330ml
Snakebite — uses 250ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Orgeat Syrup

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Scorpion Bowl — uses 23ml
Virgin Mai Tai — uses 20ml
Mai Tai — uses 15ml
Fog Cutter — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Mai Tai — uses 20ml

Passion Fruit Syrup

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini — uses 45ml
Hurricane — uses 30ml
Zombie — uses 15ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini — uses 45ml

Red Wine

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Mulled Wine — uses 180ml
Sangria — uses 94ml

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Simple Syrup

Homemade 1:1 syrup keeps refrigerated for a while but will eventually cloud or grow mould — a richer 2:1 keeps considerably longer.

Coffee Old Fashioned — uses 10ml, nothing else perishable needed
Virgin Daiquiri — uses 25ml
Virgin Mojito — uses 25ml
Old Cuban — uses 22ml
Daiquiri — uses 20ml

Alcohol-free

Virgin Daiquiri — uses 25ml
Virgin Mojito — uses 25ml
Alcohol-Free Whiskey Sour — uses 20ml

Sweet Vermouth

Wine, not a spirit. Oxidises in the cupboard within weeks and is the single most common cause of a dull Manhattan.

Vermouth Spritz — uses 90ml, nothing else perishable needed
Negroni — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Manhattan — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Boulevardier — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed
Mezcal Negroni — uses 30ml, nothing else perishable needed

No alcohol-free recipe here uses it yet.

Vanilla syrup

Opened, it is on a clock — oxidation flattens it well before the bottle looks empty. Refrigerate it and use it.

Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini — uses 20ml
Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini — uses 15ml
Pornstar Martini — uses 10ml

Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Espresso Martini — uses 20ml
Alcohol-Free Passion Fruit Martini — uses 15ml

Verjus

Unpreserved grape juice. Keep it in the fridge once opened and check it for fizz before use.

Verjus Spritz — uses 40ml
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 20ml

Alcohol-free

Verjus Spritz — uses 40ml
Alcohol-Free Bamboo — uses 20ml