New York’s St. Regis Hotel Launches Nightly Champagne Sabering Ritual
The St. Regis is one of New York’s most famous and luxurious hotels, anchoring the corner of 5th Avenue and 55th Street since 1904, when that part of the avenue was still dominated by lavish Gilded Age mansions. One of the hotel’s earliest traditions was a nightly Champagne sabering ritual to celebrate the transition from day to night, and the hotel’s current management has decided to bring the tradition back: Every night, a bottle of Champagne will be sabered at the hotel’s restaurant, The Astor Court, to celebrate the arrival of the evening.
In case you’re unaware of what Champagne sabering is, it’s a tradition that traces its roots back several hundred years: Someone holds a bottle of Champagne and swiftly runs a “saber” (usually a blunt-edged blade) upwards, knocking the cork and its surrounding glass clean off. It’s actually quite easy if you know how to do it properly, and is a great party trick.
“We invite our guests to join us in Astor Court just before 6:00 p.m. for a sip of Champagne to celebrate the beginning of the evening,” Will Rentschler, the hotel’s director of food and beverage, told us. “Guests and locals gather around the communal table, and one of our managers will recite a quote made famous by Napoleon (“In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it.”) and saber the bottle - pouring everybody a small glass to toast with. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet and learn a little bit about our wonderful guests.”
If you’d like to participate in the ritual yourself, feel free to drop by at around 5:30, grab a cocktail, and visit the communal table, which is just inside the separate Astor Court entrance on 55th Street.
And should you decide to saber a bottle of Champagne yourself, there are a few things to keep in mind: One, make sure that the bottle (especially the top) is very cold, so the glass is more brittle. Two, remove the foil and metal cage and slide the saber up the bottle in one smooth motion (not too fast), along the seam in the glass. And three, from Rentschler, “make sure you’re pointing the bottle away from everybody, and, just like a golf or tennis swing, it’s all about follow through.” You should also hone your skills on an inexpensive bottle.
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