Thoroughly chill the bottle in the refrigerator for at least three hours—anything warmer than 48 degrees and you’re bound to end up with a broken bottle and a serious party foul.
Bury the bottle, neck first, into a bucket of ice and chill it for another twenty minutes.
Remove the foil and unravel the wire cage. Unless everyone is wearing goggles, hold down the cork with your thumb until you’re ready to saber.
Look for the seams in the glass that stretch up both sides of the bottle. Choose one, and then hold your knife in one hand and the bottle in the other at a 45-degree angle.
Place the dull end of your chefs knife along the seam at the bottle’s middle section, and in one swift motion, aim for the neck ring. It’s more of a forceful push than an actual chopping.
Shake up your holiday gathering this year by beheading your bottle of bubbly. “Sabering”—lobbing off the cork with a sword—is a time-honored tradition in Europe. A knife will sub just fine for an actual saber.
Your guide for this upmarket party trick: Jennifer Sollinger, the beverage manager at Buckhead’s St. Regis Atlanta. She sabers a bottle of Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne Blue Top Brut every evening at six, an homage to the hotel’s founder and original swordslinger, John Jacob Astor IV. Follow the steps below carefully to make a splash (and not a mess).
This article originally appeared in our December 2013 issue.
