Can you freeze spiced rum? This is a great question, and to find out for sure, I talked with our resident bartender, went to the liquor store, and talked with the owner. Then I bought a bottle of spiced rum, took it home, and put it in the freezer. Now that I have it in the freeze, I will make a cold spiced rum cocktail.
Here is what I learned.
Can you freeze spiced rum?
Yes, you can put spiced rum in the freezer. Your spiced rum will not be harmed by being put in the freezer. Because of its alcohol content, it will not freeze like water or soda would. Spiced rum with an alcohol percentage of 35% or higher will not get slushy or freeze. It will get very cold in the freezer and be excellent for cold cocktails.
Whether your spiced rum will freeze or not varies by the percentage of alcohol in the particular brand. Any bottle of alcohol with 30% or less percentage of alcohol will start to turn slushy in a typical household freezer. However, when at the liquor store, I didn’t find any spiced rum that was below 35% alcohol. To be safe, though, look at your bottle because the percentage of alcohol will be on the label. This is also true whether it is dark rum or spiced rum.
There is an exception to this rule, but it rarely comes into play. In practice, any alcohol will freeze if the temperature is cold enough. According to Grey Goose, alcohol will freeze at -17 degrees F. The average household freezer is set to -0 degrees F and doesn’t go past that point.
How does freezing affect the flavor of spiced rum?
Freezing spiced rum will not affect the flavor of your rum. If you are experiencing a perceived change in the flavor of your spiced rum after removing it from the freezer, put the lid back on and gently shake the bottle.
Once you have opened the bottle of spiced rum, the flavor will change over time. Having it in the freezer will help keep the rum fresh longer. An unopened bottle of spiced rum will keep its flavor for many years.
What happens to the spiced rum label when freezing it?
The only frustration that I had when I froze my spiced rum was that the label got wet from the condensation. This made it difficult to read the label after the bottle came to room temp. One of the reasons that this could be a problem is if you planned to give the bottle as a gift, the label could be messed up after it defrosts.
Does freezing spiced rum change its consistency?
Freezing spiced rum doesn’t ruin the consistency, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Depending on how long it has been in the freezer, it may appear cloudy. If your spiced rum appears cloudy, put the lid back on it and shake it up. Then allow it to come to room temperature, and it should return to normal.
2. Depending on how cold the freezer is that you put the rum in, the bottle’s contents could separate. It is extremely rare for this to happen with rum, only at temperatures below -17 degrees Fahrenheit. If this happens, just allow the rum to thaw and then shake the bottle to mix.
Can freezing spiced rum affect its alcohol content?
No, freezing spiced rum will not affect its alcohol content. The alcohol content will not be impacted by freezing.
The bottom line
You can put a bottle of spiced rum in the freezer. Freezing spiced rum will not impact the alcohol content. Spiced rum will not freeze solid in a typical household freezer, it will just be a very cold drink. The label will become wet from the condensation and could ruin gift-giving quality when the bottle comes to room temp.
