So you're celebrating. The mood is electric and anticipation is high. Someone even mentions sabering the bottle of champagne. This is some kind of alchemy. The most stylish way to pop a bottle is to shave it. This will dazzle your audience. How did this practice of opening a champagne bottle with a sharp blade become fashionable? Let's delve into this fizzy culture that makes us all feel like rock stars. Click here.
Picture the Napoleonic Era, France. Grand celebrations. Victories. Soldiers celebrated by slicing champagne bottle tops with their swords. Yeah, they really were. The sabre, used by cavalrymen to open bottles of bubbly became a popular weapon. It turned the everyday act of opening an ordinary bottle of sparkling wine into a spectacle. This is not for history buffs. Let's find out how.
To begin with, you'll require a bottle or two of champagne. This is not a surprise. The bottle should have a nice punt (that indented part at the bottom). Champagne bottles have been designed to withstand pressure and are therefore the trusted soldiers of beverage. It helps evenly distribute the force and allows sabering with no mini-explosion. Select your weapon - a champagne sword or a knife if feeling adventurous. You need to add a little chill to the champagne to stop it from foaming.
We're not aiming for perfection. You are not a professional sushi chef. It's important to aim for the seam that runs up the neck with this confidence-boosting flick. Hold the bottle at about 45 degrees. Now, take a big breath, locate the groove at the side and move your blade gently up toward the lip of the glass. You've just made everyone want to be your friends.
If you are wondering, "Can i really do this?" then remember that swagger is the key. It doesn't matter if your watch a dozen YouTube clips and learn expert tricks. If you back out at the very last second, then it is game over. Just try it. You have to be a little like the life you live; sometimes, all you can do is take a swing. The whole thing is a filmic drama, a story in progress.
While you are showering everyone with champagne and cheers have a story ready. You will become the legend, hero and raconteur of the evening. "Remember the time I sabered that bottle and it did not explode on anyone? Yeah, these moments age like fine, my friend.
Even in the midst of all this fun, let's take a second to be honest. Always keep in mind the safety of your toes and fingernails. Try not to do it on your Aunt Edna’s Persian antique rug. Although the pursuit for joy is noble and will bring you lots of laughs, try practicing on some sparkling wine or cheaper bottles. The story you will tell later is based on a couple of clumsy efforts.
As a final note, champagne sabering can be used as instagram filters for any occasion. Flashy, dramatic, slightly dangerous and full of character. You've captured a tradition as rich and impressive in its roots as the drink. Whatever they say, no one will ever forget that you didn't simply make a drink, but you also sang one!