How Long Is Jägermeister Good After It's Opened?

Maybe you bought a whole bottle of Jägermeister to make one cocktail and now the remainder of the bottle is staring you down from your bar cart, waiting to be used. Meanwhile, the clock ticks, and time passes. How long will that Jäger be good for? (And how long has that half-empty fifth been stashed in the dorm fridge?)

Jäger is the German herbal liqueur with a 35% ABV (for comparison, full-proof liquors like tequila and vodka have an ABV of 40%). As such, like any high-proof alcohol, Jägermeister boasts a long shelf life, but is still subject to quality degradation over time — especially after the bottle has been opened. Unopened bottles of Jägermeister can last for several years, but the taste and aroma can be muted or broken down as it ages.

While Jägermeister does not have a specific expiration date, the best way to enjoy the liqueur at its peak quality is to use it up in a relatively timely fashion once the bottle has been opened. To help stretch that shelf life as far as possible, store the bottle properly in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, like a pantry or cabinet away from the stove, where temperature can fluctuate. Your open bottle of Jäger will perform best if stored chilled, as the optimal serving temperature for this herbal liqueur is -0.4 Fahrenheit.

A more specific answer comes from Jägermeister itself. In 2016, KISS 106.1 Evansville radio host Ryan O'Bryan emailed the contact on the official Jägermeister website asking, "I have had a half drank bottle of Jägermeister in my deep freeze for over 11 years. Does the product have an expiration date or spoil?" Per Team Jägermeister's response, "A full and originally closed bottle of Jägermeister is limitless[ly] maintainable," but for optimal quality, "We recommend keeping an opened bottle of Jägermeister in the refrigerator or at a cool and dry place in order to protect the desired taste and flavor. It is not absolutely necessary to put the bottle in the freezer."

One Reddit fan mentions owning an open bottle of Jäger for 15 years and still drinking it (which you technically can do, but we don't recommend). If the bottle has been open for so long that the alcohol content begins to deteriorate, the liqueur will be more susceptible to oxidation and bacteria growth. To be safe, if it's been a while, shine a light on that green glass bottle to see if any fuzzy growths or spores have appeared on the surface. If it looks or smells off, toss it out. To be proactive, if you don't plan to use up the full bottle within a few months of opening it, try skipping the fifth (750ml) at the liquor store and purchase a pint instead.