Champagne Heads

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Term for "champagne sabering" (sabrage = "sabre"), in which the neck of a bottle of champagne is cleanly cut off using a sabre (can of course also be used with sparkling wine bottles ). According to other versions, sabrieren is derived from "sabler" (sand, to cover with sand), which is documented in French in 1695 with the meaning "to drink it all in one go" . Voltaire (1694-1778) interpreted the term to mean "drinking champagne en masse" . According to the common version, the term is derived from "Sabre" (sword, sabre). The custom has an old tradition dating back to pre-Napoleonic France and Tsarist Russia. At that time, French cavalry officers and higher ranks of the Tsarist army used it at large receptions and celebrations.

Invention of the sabre

The invention is attributed to the French Emperor Napoleon (1769-1821), although it was probably already in use before his time. In any case, he used to enjoy bottles of champagne opened in this way with his officers after winning a battle. As Napoleon won over 50 battles, we can therefore assume that he had a certain skill. However, he probably maintained the custom even after the dozen or so defeats, as he remarked about champagne: " After victory you deserve it, after defeat you need...

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Invention of the sabre

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