The coolest way to open a bottle of Champagne
Play a corker this New Year’s Eve
It’s New Year, and the champagne – or should that be Prosecco? – will be flowing. But how can you ensure that you kick of 2017 with a bang, all eyes on you and with a flute or two full of the bubbly stuff?
Learn the coolest way to open a bottle of champagne so, no matter what the New Year holds for you, you’ll ring it in on sparkling form.
Let’s not mess around – the coolest way to open a bottle of champagne is the most barbaric. Bypassing the cork altogether, get a knife swipe at the right angle and you can simple slice clean through the bottle’s neck.
Begin by finding a knife. It may be counter to your expectations, but heft is more important than sharpness when searching for your weapon. Of reasonably length, and with a substantial handle, hold the knife so the blade points away from you.
With the bottle itself, start by taking the foil off the bottle and removing the wire cage so it doesn’t obstruct the base of the lip. Hold the bottle in your other hand, and find the vertical seam of the bottle. Follow this seam to the point where it meets the lip of the bottle – this is where you will strike with your knife.
Stroke the bottle up and down this vertical seam several times to get the angle of your approach secure, and then strike the lip hard – at a diagonal angle. Then try to get to a glass before the whole bottle fizzes out onto the floor.
Because of the pressure of the bottle, this method is reasonably safe, and it is incredibly unlikely glass will end up in your drink – probably best to check though, just in case…
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