Can fruit left too long in liqueur cause bitterness or spoilage?

Expanded Explanation

Yes, fruit left in liqueur too long can cause both bitterness and stability problems. As the infusion continues, alcohol starts pulling more pithy, tannic, woody, or cooked notes from the fruit, especially from peels, seeds, fibrous cores, and charred surfaces. What begins as bright flavor can gradually turn heavy, dull, or overly bitter.

Fresh fruit left submerged for too long can also break down physically. This increases sediment, makes filtering harder, and may weaken long-term stability if fine particles remain in the bottle. High-alcohol environments reduce microbial risk, but they do not prevent texture breakdown or over-extraction.

That is why many recipes benefit from staged removal. Taste during infusion, remove the fruit when the main flavor is right, and allow other ingredients to continue only if needed. Controlled timing gives you cleaner flavor, easier finishing, and a more stable final bottle.