Read This Before Even Thinking About Sabering A Champagne Bottle
Sabering a bottle of Champagne is a fun and exciting party trick. In theory. According to The Glamorous Gourmet, the concept of sabrage involves breaking off the top of the bottle with either a designated Champagne saber, a chef's knife, or, as Wine Spectator claimed, even a spoon. This is accomplished through a feat of science in which the pressure points in the bottle interact with pressure on the exterior of the bottle, specifically where the seam meets the neck, which is the weakest part of the bottle. Some, assumedly those with a lot of practice, are aces at the practice of sabrage; however, for others, including novices, sabering a bottle of Champagne can be quite difficult, and even dangerous.
Eater chronicled a series of videos in which people attempted to saber a bottle of Champagne and things went horribly wrong, including one in which a woman who ended up spilling the entire bottle on herself, one whack that ended in blood, and another that points out that saberers should definitely point the bottle away from onlookers. So, if you're looking to learn and perfect the art of sabrage, there are some tricks of the trade you should follow to ensure both success and safety.
How to saber a bottle of Champagne
If you're planning to saber a Champagne bottle at a New Year's gathering this weekend, make sure the bottle is extremely cold, which will keep it from exploding. Next, find the vertical seam in the bottle where the top half meets the bottom half. This is where you will aim your saber. Then, right before you're about to saber the bottle, take off the foil cover and wire cage surrounding the cork, using caution as the cork can now pop off at any time. Finally, hold the bottle from the bottom and go for it! (via The Glamorous Gourmet).
Wine Spectator said you won't have to apply too much pressure to cut off the top of the bottle. Once you've been successful, The Glamorous Gourmet recommended wiping off the broken rim of the bottle before serving the Champagne to guests to make sure there are no lingering glass fragments – you don't have to worry about glass in the bottle; the pressure of the saber prevents it from dropping in. Then enjoy!