Warning to Baby Guinness drinkers as Brits receive Christmas Day alert

If you're planning on enjoying a Baby Guinness on Christmas Day when it's time to put the boardgames away, listen up.

Although it's well known as a St Patrick's Day tipple - due to the fact it literally looks like an adorable miniature pint of the Irish dry stout - boozers like to knock them back over the festive period too.

It's hardly surprising - the Baileys is already out, so all you need to do is rummage in the cupboard for a bottle of coffee liqueur and you're good to go.

There's a large chance you'll probably receive a bottle of the Irish Cream over Christmas too, as it's the perfect last minute gift to grab when you're running around doing a final present dash.

Baileys has certainly gained a reputation as a favoured festive drink, not least because there's something weird about drinking it during the height of summer.

However, there's a common problem people keep encountering with the bottles, as even after knocking back shots and shots of Baby Guinness, they don't always get all the way through the full lot before the festive period is over.

Once you're in the cold, harsh light of January, the Baileys is banished until next Christmas and shots are certainly off the cards - so it becomes the thing which just stays in your fridge for months on end.

Getty Stock Photo

That's a bit of a problem because Baileys does have an expiration date, and if you are getting rid of it, there's something you absolutely shouldn't do.

While the drink company itself says it has a shelf life of two years from the date of bottling, opened or unopened, there are others who warn that you'd better quaff the lot within six months.

As a general rule of thumb if the bottle is unopened then it might be alright for two years, but once opened you should probably finish it off within six months.

The drink contains dairy cream, which goes bad over time, and since you don't want to chug a rancid drink you might end up having to chuck it out.

Now normally you'd think about pouring the expired beverage down the kitchen sink and sticking the bottle in the recycling, but according to the Daily Mirror that's not what you should do.

Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

They report that tradesmen from MyBuilder.com have warned that Baileys can 'wreak havoc' with your plumbing and even end up blocking your pipes.

Since dairy cream contains a lot of fat, it puts Baileys in the list of things that should never go down your sink.

The big three are fat, oil and grease - they're not good for your pipes and can end up clogging your plumbing up which is really not what you need at this time of year, or any time really.

If you want to get rid of old, rancid Baileys properly it seems as though the proper method is to pour the liquid contents into a container and then chuck that in your bin.

That's how you get rid of the stuff that shouldn't be going down your kitchen sink.

But to save yourself the trouble, don't skimp on the pour this festive season and rack up another line of Baby Guinness'.