Safety question

[robie]

I make a cocktail called a Bolshevik.  It has 3 components.

 

1.  Beet vodka (soak peeled raw beets in vodka x 48 hours, drain, store in refrigerator)

2.  Basil simple syrup (cook a lot of basil in water, remove, add an equal amount of sugar, boil x 5 minutes, store in fridge)

3.  Lemon juice (done fresh).

 

I have some beet vodka and basil simple syrup left over from about 2 months ago.  It has been continuously refrigerated and I was careful with cleanliness when making them.  Do you think they're still safe to consume?

[Chris Hennes]

With the caveat that I am not a professional in such matters... yes, I'd think so -- both the alcohol and the sugar will have acted as preservatives. I personally would make myself a drink a day or two before serving guests, but I'm paranoid about such things.

[Tere]

Ditto. The vodka is the vodka liquid not the beets right?

 

If it looks good I'd eat it. If you are serving paid guests definitely try a shot first, but I'd try both of those comfortably in a domestic context.

[FrogPrincesse]

I'd keep the beet vodka unless there was stuff growing in it. But the basil simple syrup I would definitely throw away after that amount of time.

[blue_dolphin]

I, another non-professional, also think it's unlikely to be any more unsafe than the same cocktail would be made from fresh ingredients.  It seems more likely that the flavors may have gone off but that's easy enough to test.

[robie]

Thanks all.  I remove the beet chunks after 48 hours.  Everything looks fine.  I will give everything a test prior to exposing others.