German term for "Champagner-Köpfen" (sabrage = "sabre"), where preferably the neck is cut off cleanly with the sabre of a bottle of champagne (can of course also be used with Sektsparkling wine bottles). According to a lesser known version, sabrage is derived from "sabler" (sand, covering/spreading with sand), which in 1695 was given the meaning "drink it all in one go" in French. Allegedly Voltaire (1694-1778) interpreted the term as "drinking champagne en masse". According to the current version, however, the term is derived from "Sabre" (sword, sabre). The custom has an old tradition from the pre-Napoleonic France and Russia of the Tsarist era. At that time it was cultivated by French cavalry officers and higher ranks of the tsarist army at large receptions and celebrations.