Off with their heads!

Guests at recent banquet got to enjoy firsthand a slice of history along with a sumptuous feast and Mumm champagne at the Rembrandt Hotel’s Da Vinci restaurant when Frenchman Jean-Claude Jalloux, founder and Grand Maitre of the Confrerie du Sabre d’Or – Brotherhood of the Golden Sabre – invited them to have a go at “sabrage”, a technique of opening the bubbly with a time-honoured method that dates back to the days of Napoleon
“I started this brotherhood in France in 1980, partly to revive the ceremony and also to make Champagne drinking even more fun and luxurious,” explained Jalloux who, dressed in his ceremonial cape adored with medals and a hat, look as though he’d stepped out of one of Dan Brown’s novels. The brotherhood is no secret society, however, and now counts more than 6,000 members in 24 countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“Even though it is very easy and safe to do, sabrage is always exciting to witness. And that I think it elevates the Champagne drinking experience,” the grand master enthused.
This technique became popular in France just after the French Revolution. The sabre was the weapon of choice of Napoleon's light cavalry – the Hussars – and the Emperor’s spectacular victories across Europe certainly gave them plenty of reason to celebrate.
There are many stories about this tradition. One of the more spirited is that of Madame Clicquot, who had inherited her husband’s small Champagne house at the age of 27. She used to entertain Napoleon’s officers in her vineyard, and as they rode off in the early morning with their complimentary bottle of Champagne, they would open it with their sabre to impress the rich young widow.
But is it really that easy to decapitate a sturdy looking Champagne bottle? According to the grand master, you need to chill the bottle to 3 degrees Celsius to make the bottle brittle. You then remove the wire around the cork, as well as the foil around the neck of the bottle. Though an experience sabreur can cut open the bottle with the foil attached, it is much easier to glide the blade along the nape of the bottle without it.
You then hold the bottle with your arm extended, angled at around 30 degrees from horizontal level, with the neck pointing up, of course.
Next comes the exciting part: Lay the blade flat along the seam of the bottle, and slide it up firmly. And there goes the collar of the bottle, with the cork still inside. In essence, you’re not actually cutting the top of the neck off, but shoving it off with the help of the pressure inside the bottle, and the elasticity of the glass.
“It is very safe,” the grand master assured us. “It’s not going to explode, and you’re not going to hurt yourself because the blade is actually blunt. You won’t chop your finger off. Just make sure to point the bottle to an empty space, because the cork does fly out with force and can often travel 5 to 10 metres.”
A Champagne bottle holds a considerable amount of pressure. With early designs, bottles tended to explode and the manufacturers kept making them thicker until they could contain the pressure caused by the release of carbon dioxide during the secondary fermentation. As the cork is being pushed out of the bottle, all the broken bits and debris from the sabrage will fly out with it, leaving the cut smooth and the liquid inside safe to drink.

Living by the sword
>> Find out more at www.LeSabredOr.fr.