How to Open a Champagne Bottle With a Sharp Object (5 meg video)

Dave Rishar

Dave Rishar

Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
3,178
Cndrm came by to borrow my camera today and there just happened to be a bottle of Chimay in the fridge. It had been a long time since I'd sabered a bottle. I thought it would be appropriate to put Mike to work before I handed my camera to him. :)

Here's the deal: the articles on the internet cover the basics pretty well - that's where I started, anyway. I tried to explain it a bit in the vid. Of course I screwed it up.

First of all, that was my first time using an actual saber to pop a bottle (a CS 1796 to be exact) and the technique is a bit different than that of a khuk, as you could see. It's easier with a khukuri - the 1796 is a long, heavy saber that's fairly point heavy and is probably not the best choice for something like this. :)

One thing that I demonstrated, but did not explain, is that it's a good idea to point the bottle in a safe direction. When the top pops, it can pop far. Beer doesn't throw the tops too far but you will get some distance with champagne. Make sure that the bottle top lands where it can be found easily.

Standard safety rules apply. Keep the hand under the bottle, stay focused, and make sure that you saber all the bottles ahead of time - you do not want to be sabering bottles after you've consumed one or two. ;) Saber only what you will drink...you can't put the cork back in the bottle afterwards. (Could be a good thing or a bad thing.)

I apologize for the poor quality of the video. I'm still stuck filming vids with my digicam, something it's not really built to do. Bear with me and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM or email me. Please note that I'm hardly an expert on the subject, as you can see; it took me three tries to get this sucker open. (Granted, I hadn't done it with a saber before and beer bottles are far more difficult than champagne bottles, but still...)

Without further ado...

Sabre le Champagne! Err, beer.
 
I could watch that over and over. Espescially the part where you get to drink the beer. :D

mike
 
And I hit myself in the tooth? :D

It's been a while since I've done one of my foolish videos. Thanks for the comments, and thanks for the help Mike.

We ought to do some cutting sometime, Mike. (And any of the other Puget Sound khukuri maniacs and swordsmen we could find.) Aside from some excellent training, we could generate some pretty cool videos besides.

You know, pumpkins are currently about 25 cents a pound...they'll be even cheaper after Halloween... ;) ;) ;)
 
Dave, No problem, glad to help out. First time I've seen the "cutting" of the bottle. Some cutting vids would be a good time. Just tell me when. I think pumpkins would be a good time. (especially after halloween). I'll have to bring my kuks over when I bring your camera back to try them on your mooring line. (be interesting to see).

mike
 
I don't wish for anything. If I want it, I buy it. :D Just be interesting to see the results.


mike
 
once again Dave, you're video's are pure treasure.

thanks man! beer's on me!
 
Thank you Satori!
I saved the videos.
We did it right last evening - but dinged the edge of my 18" gelbu-special a bit - have to file and steel some minutes today.
Would have been a mess if we hadn´t succeeded as it was some expensive champaign...

Andreas
 
Nice video!
Thank you Satori
 
That's a classic, Sat. I was laughing every time you got ready and then said something else to the camera, then got ready, then said something else, then got ready . . .

"SO CUT THE DARN THING ALREADY!"

LOL!

Thanks for the share. A classic.

Noah
 
I saw this the first time but didn't save it. This time I saved it to my hard drive, in anticipation of the next time I encounter a bottle of champagne.
 
Great Stuff! :D :) :D
I don't like champagne either, but IMHO Chimay Bleu is the champagne of beers. While serving in Belgium I had the opportunity to visit the Abbey of Our Lady of Scourmont, walk the grounds, talk to the Trappiste monks, and see the Chimay being brewed. Also visited the monks that brew Duvel and Orval, funny how my "pilgrimages" all seemed to involve beer. ;)
Beautiful people those monks. Deeply spiritual, and perfectly content to live a simple agrarian life of worship mixed with hard honest work. They bake their own bread from grain that they've grown, make their own cheese, and grow their own hops and barley for the excellent ale they produce. All the beer, and most of the bread, cheese, etc., gets sold to pay their taxes, support the monastery, and fund their charity work for the poor and afflicted. People look at the price of a bottle of Chimay, and ask, "why spend that much money for a beer?". My answer? "Because I know where most of that money goes". ;)

Uh, Dave, did I hear you say something to the effect of; "I could probably do this with a brick". Careful how you share such information. I can just imagine an assemblage of rednecks breaking out the frosty cold longnecks and yelling, "hey bubba, pass me that there brick". :eek: :rolleyes: :D

Sarge
 
Good video, Satori... That would be a fantastic and novel way for a sommelier to open a good bottle of Champagne, like a1985 Krug "Clos du Menil", or a 1997 Yquem Sauternes! :cool: :)
 
Drdan said:
Good video, Satori... That would be a fantastic and novel way for a sommelier to open a good bottle of Champagne, like a1985 Krug "Clos du Menil", or a 1997 Yquem Sauternes! :cool: :)
Click to expand...

Around here, a 2005 Korbel would be more likely. ;)

It had been a while since I've done any of my foolish videos. It felt good to get back up on the horse again. Thanks for the comments, and please...be careful if you try this.
 
Mmmm, Chimay. Truly a fine beer, and I'll second the praise of Chimay Bleu. Personally my favorite trappist beer is the Rochefort 10, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere in the US. Anybody in europe want to send some over for the Khon this year? ;)

Thanks for the excellent vid Satori. I now have an excuse to get a bottle of Chimay and play with sharp things :D

-Tycho-
 
tychoseven, Good luck on the Rochefort 10. I couldn't even find anybody online who sold it. I had an easier time tracking down Belhaven (Scottish creamflow ale) :p :D

mike
 
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