Saber the flavour

Why merely pop the cork when you can slice it with a sabre like a pro, astounding your guests and toasting the originator, Emperor and great naval hero, Napoleon Bonaparte in the process.

Written by Jeni Bone
Photography by Fox Knives, Italy

12 April 2017

Why wiggle the cork out when you can do as Napoleon did and celebrate special occasions with a flourish, and a dramatic slash of the champagne bottle to unlock its bubbly bounty?

Napoleon began an international tradition when he celebrated victory in battle by slicing the top off a bottle of champagne with a sword.

No need for that kind of life-threatening exertion today, but you will impress your guests with this specially designed and Italian-made sabre just right for the purpose.

Saber the champagne like a pro!

Manufactured by Fox Knives, in Mangiano, Italy, the Sommelier Saber is made of the highest quality rust-proof T5MOV stainless steel. Each one comes with an intricate, hand-crafted handle and elegant box and sabre-holder for display.

Experts advise that to successfully ‘sabre’ a bottle of champagne, you must ensure that the champagne is chilled, and that the foil and wire hood are removed. Holding the sabre in your dominant hand and cradling the bottle at a 20-degree angle in your other, use the dull side of the blade to swiftly slice upwards towards the cork.

Watch your aim and the follow-through of the blade!

The Sommelier Saber retails for around US$110.

www.foxcutlery.com