Opening a bottle of champagne by twisting off the cork is so 2023. If you want to ring in 2024 with style, there’s one simple answer: sabrage.

The act of opening a bottle of champagne with a heavy cavalry sword is thought to have originated during the French Revolution when Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly said “In victory you deserve it… and in defeat you need it”, before using his sabre to open a bottle.

We caught wind that Vue de Monde executive chef and knife expert Hugh Allen was a fan of the technique. So, ahead of New Year’s Eve, we asked him to share his tips for successful sabrage.

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“Our wine director Dorian [Guillon] showed me. It’s actually incredibly easy, so it’s a good fun thing to do at any event,” he tells Broadsheet.

Allen’s technique? “Basically, make the bottle as cold as possible, an ice bath is great, or at least straight from the fridge. This helps with the pressure and cork releasing.”

Once you remove any cage around the cork, look for a line on the bottle where the two sides of the glass have been joined, he instructs. “You’ll find the seam if you look closely. Just follow that line on a flat angle and hit the rim with confidence. I don’t know if this is a must, but it works for me every time.”

Be careful where you aim, though. “Safety first, never point the bottle at anyone.”

And the good news is that you don’t need a sword to perform an act of sabrage. “You can actually use most things with a flat edge to sabre – a bread knife works perfectly,” says Allen. Though admittedly a sword has more panache.