How to Sabre Champagne

There’s something very special about seeing a bottle of Champagne being sabred. Here we show you how it’s done, it’s not as complicated as it looks, but you need to be careful as there are many ways of getting it wrong and ending up with a smashed bottle and Champagne all over the floor or your guests!

Traditional sabring was done with a sword, however there are several things you can use instead, we suggest a heavy knife, using the blunt end or though you’ll be surprised to find you can also sabre with an iphone, a glass or even a spoon.

Preparation is key, make sure the bottle is chilled, cool it in the fridge for 2 hours or 15 minutes in an ice bucket. Remove the wire cage and find the seam on the bottle (the line on the bottle where the glass was sealed). Hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle and line the sabre along the seam with the blade facing you. Apply slight pressure and slide the blade along the seam and follow through, making sure no-one is in the direction of where the cork will go. The cork should come off with some glass attached, this is usually quite a clean cut and the pressure from inside the bottle will make sure no glass will be in the Champagne. A good sabrage will result in losing very little Champagne, so now’s the time to pour out the Champagne to all your impressed guests and enjoy!