Advocaat · Explainer
How long does advocaat keep after opening?
According to the Voedingscentrum, an opened bottle of advocaat keeps for 6 months in the fridge. Advocaat contains at least 140 grams of quality egg yolk per litre and at least 14 per cent alcohol by volume; because of that egg yolk it is not an ordinary spirit. Put the bottle back in the fridge after pouring and watch out for a bitter or sour taste.
In brief
The key figures
| Opened bottle | Keeps for 6 months in the fridge |
|---|---|
| Unopened bottle | Follow the storage advice and the best-before date on the packaging |
| Where to store after opening | Fridge; the freezer is less suitable |
| Signs of deterioration | The drink tastes less strong, bitter or sour |
| Minimum quality egg yolk | 140 grams per litre of final product |
| Minimum sugar or honey | 150 grams per litre, expressed as invert sugar |
| Minimum alcohol | 14 per cent by volume, the lowest limit of all spirit drinks |
| Age limit | NIX18; verstrekken onder 18 jaar is verboden (Alcoholwet, artikel 20) |
How long does an opened bottle of advocaat keep?
The Voedingscentrum works with 6 months for an opened bottle of advocaat, kept in the fridge.
That is considerably shorter than for spirits without egg, which the Voedingscentrum says keep indefinitely in the kitchen cupboard. The composition explains that difference.
For an unopened bottle, the storage advice on the packaging applies, together with the best-before date that is usually stated there.
Why does advocaat need to go in the fridge and jenever not?
Advocaat contains at least 140 grams of quality egg yolk per litre, and that is why the bottle goes in the fridge after opening.
Regulation (EU) 2019/787 also allows dairy products in the preparation. Egg and dairy are perishable, and the alcohol content of 14 per cent by volume and the 150 grams of sugar per litre change little about that.
Spirits without those ingredients, by contrast, are best kept outside the fridge, in a cool, dry and dark place.
Is there a best-before date on advocaat?
A best-before date is not compulsory for drinks from 10 per cent alcohol by volume, but for an unopened bottle of advocaat the Voedingscentrum refers to the date on the packaging.
The exemption is in Annex X of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Producers may therefore choose for themselves, and with advocaat they usually do opt for a date.
For drinks below 10 per cent alcohol by volume, a best-before date is in fact compulsory. So always read the label, because not every creamy bottle is advocaat.
How can you tell that advocaat is deteriorating?
The Voedingscentrum names three signs: the drink tastes less strong, turns bitter or turns sour.
Smell and taste a little first before using a bottle that has been open for months. If the advocaat looks different from when it was opened, leave it.
If in doubt, throw it away. It is a product with egg, and it is not worth the risk.
Can you freeze advocaat?
Freezing is less suitable for advocaat; the Voedingscentrum puts the drink in the category you are better off not putting in the freezer.
Advocaat is a mixture of egg yolk, sugar and alcohol that owes its thickness to that combination. Freezing and thawing changes that structure.
So the fridge is the place, and 6 months after opening is the period the Voedingscentrum works with.
Does the same apply to egg liqueur and liqueur with egg?
Egg liqueur falls under the same European category as advocaat; liqueur with egg is a separate category with at least 70 grams of egg yolk per litre.
For egg liqueur and advocaat: at least 14 per cent alcohol by volume, at least 140 grams of quality egg yolk and at least 150 grams of sugar per litre. Liqueur with egg starts at 15 per cent by volume and 70 grams of egg yolk.
Cream liqueurs without egg fall outside that again. For each of those bottles, follow the storage advice on the label.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which advocaat is available in Bathmen?
In the shop in Bathmen there are 10 bottles of advocaat from 6 different brands and 3 countries. Prices range from € 4.99 to € 20.99. Alcohol content ranges from 8% to 17.2%.
- Cooymans Advocaat Original 14% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Cooymans Advocaat Original 14% · 50 cl · Netherlands
- Filliers Advokaat Weckpot 14% · 70 cl · Belgium
- Filliers Advokaat Weckpot 2x10cl 14% · 20 cl · Belgium
- Pircher Bombardino 17% · 70 cl · Italy
- Tokkelroom 8% · 50 cl · Netherlands
- Warninks Advocaat dun 17.2% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Warninks Scharreladvocaat 14% · 70 cl · Netherlands
- Warninks Scharreladvocaat 14% · 50 cl · Netherlands
- Zwarte Kip Advocaat 14% · 50 cl · Netherlands
Related questions
What do you drink advocaat with?What is advocaat?What is the difference between advocaat and egg liqueur?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Does advocaat need to go in the fridge after opening?
- Yes. The Voedingscentrum works with 6 months for an opened bottle of advocaat in the fridge.
- What is the minimum alcohol content of advocaat?
- At least 14 per cent by volume. That is the only exception to the lower limit of 15 per cent by volume for spirit drinks.
- Can you still use advocaat after the date?
- Smell and taste first. If the advocaat tastes less strong, bitter or sour, those are signs of deterioration according to the Voedingscentrum.
- Does an unopened bottle of advocaat keep for a long time?
- Follow the storage advice and the best-before date on the packaging; for advocaat it is usually stated.
- May advocaat be sold to someone under 18?
- No. The Dutch Alcohol Act (Alcoholwet) prohibits supplying alcoholic drinks to anyone who has not been established to be 18.
The reasoning
Sources
- Hoelang kunt u advocaatje bewaren?, Voedingscentrum (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, EUR-Lex (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, EUR-Lex (accessed 2026-09-06)
- How long can you keep liqueur of 15-25 % vol alcohol?, Voedingscentrum (accessed 2026-09-06)
- Alcoholwet, Overheid.nl (accessed 2026-09-06)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 7 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.