“I hate vermouth.” – you

You don’t hate vermouth. You hate the nasty, musty liquid that was vermouth when you opened it a year ago then pushed it to the back of the pantry until recently, when you dusted off the bottle to make a crappy martini with what has since become rotten vermouth.

Vermouth is wine. It lasts longer than an uncorked cabernet because it’s been fortified with a spirit, but that doesn’t mean it lasts forever. An opened bottle will keep for a month or two in the fridge (some say room temp is good enough, but keeping it cold may buy you a little extra time). Start by buying a 375 ml bottle instead of the more common 750. Then vacuum seal it if you can.

Everything in your bar has a shelf life. Liqueurs that contain dairy: toss after a year, even if they’re still sealed. Liqueurs made with sugar (triple sec, amaretto …): two years, tops. Bitters have a high alcohol content so they can last a decade or more. Same with spirits. Mixers made with high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors: have you been paying attention at all? Toss that shit out.

Good booze is like a collectable Star Wars action figure. You have to unwrap it to play with it, but as soon as you do, it loses value. You’re not going to sell your great grandfather’s ancient Scotch-minus-a-shot on eBay, so once you’ve sipped it, you might as well keep on swigging. And when anything starts to taste not-so-fresh, thank it for the good times and move on.