Starting Sabrage
How to do my favorite party trick
Sabrage is the use of a sword to slice off the top of a champagne bottle, originating in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée victory celebrations. First get champagne. I like Stanislas Bonafe Champagne. With this link, you can get $50 off. That brings the total discount to over half off. They’ll deliver three bottles directly to your door for free. Then get a saber. Any saber will do and there are little ones for the purpose, but I prefer a full sized sword. As this originated in Napoleonic times, my first choice is this 1830 Napoleon Saber.
Now it is time to get to work… Get the bottle as cold as possible without freezing the contents. Stick it in the freezer horizontally for 30 minutes. Alternatively, put it in a champagne bucket with salted ice water for fifteen minutes. Take it outside with enough room for swinging a sword. Dry the bottle so that it isn’t slippery. Hold the bottle firmly by the base in your weak hand. Deliberately and smoothly, slide the spine of the sword along the bottle’s seam toward the lip. When it hits the neck, it will (should?) cleanly snap off. Recover the cork to confirm that no glass shards are missing. I have never had that happen but still double check.
A few considerations: Get a case of the cheapest champagne you can find for practice. Andre Brut typically costs ~$6–8 (e.g. here for ~$8). Consider your audience. Some people are particularly uncomfortable around weapons. Or alcohol. Or the combination. But once you are practiced, have the right audience, and are adept enough to pull this off: show some flair. Do it sober, but don’t let them know. As you’re explaining, gesticulate a bit with your sword hand. Pantomime the motion as if it will just sail through the air, vaguely in the direction of your other arm. Elicit some gasps. Flick from blade to spine only mid slide so that it looks as if you cut it cleanly off instead of the more mundane reality that the bottle guides the blade and the neck just pops off with a slight pressure. Have fun (and don’t actually cut off your other arm).
