Sabering champagne is a gesture synonymous with a wild night out. Yet this famous tradition holds plenty of secrets. From the victorious returns of Napoleon’s cavalry to the act of “sabling” champagne, many questions can linger. So in this article, you’ll discover this great festive tradition!
How to saber champagne?
There are two main schools of thought for doing this well. You can use either a glass or a blade to open your bottle of champagne with a flick of the hand. In both cases, the gesture is roughly the same. The tradition, as you’ll discover below, is based on opening with a blade. It recalls the tradition of the officers’ saber used to open these champagne bottles. Whatever the size of the bottle, you can saber it.
So, to saber a bottle of champagne, you need to follow these steps:
- Remove the foil from the cork. Be sure, though, to keep the wire cage, the metal part that holds the cork onto the bottle.
- Hold the bottle at an angle (tilted between 30° and 45°) and point it in a safe direction.
- Rest your blade on the bottle. Choose a heavy blade if you can, to apply good pressure on the bottle.
- Then slide the blade from the middle of the bottle toward the cork. There’s no need to go too fast.
- The impact between the blade and the neck causes the neck to break. The cork and wire cage fly off with it.
- You can serve the champagne to your guests and make a toast!
You can also saber champagne with a glass. To do this, simply make the same gesture so that the glass strikes the neck of the bottle. Just like in the greatest wine movies, it’s now your turn to play!
Why saber champagne?
The tradition of sabering champagne comes from the celebrations of many cavalry regiments around the world in the 19th century. Officers had taken to sabering champagne on returning from their victorious campaigns. They would open bottles in a single gesture thanks to their saber.
These days, the gesture is still used at certain grand parties or in some champagne houses. It is, however, a risky move. So be sure to take the necessary precautions before attempting it.
Saber or sable champagne?
To “sable” a bottle of champagne refers to another tradition. According to the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC), “sabling” champagne means downing your glass in one go. So sabling champagne has absolutely nothing to do with adding sugar to a glass of wine, as some Russian aristocrats did in the 18th century to sweeten it. Nor does the expression mean burying a bottle of champagne in sand to keep it cool. Sabling champagne means drinking your glass of champagne very quickly. The term can also be used when talking about a glass of wine. In the 19th century, the expression “sabler le champagne” took on another meaning. It came to mean “to drink in abundance”.
So, sabering champagne and sabling champagne are two completely different expressions. You’ve now fully mastered both, and you’ll be able to shine at your next champagne parties!
