Champagne Serving and Drinking Like a Pro
The holiday season is around the corner, and with it comes loads of parties and meetups with loved ones. Drinks, of course, are expected to be served in large numbers. From whiskeys to beers and wines. However, for those planning on drinking or serving more champagne this holiday season, the rules applied are different. Today is all about champagne serving and drinking like a pro!
You might be wondering what these rules are? For starters, you should know the best brands to serve during these occasions- or any other day you are in the mood for a nice glass of champagne. But this is a topic for another day. Today, we will talk about how to pop champagne, how to pour it, foods to pair with it as well as the best glass to use for champagne.
Champagne serving and drinking like a pro!
- How to Open the Champagne Bottle
If you are not careful, you might end up giving someone a black eye when popping the champagne. So, how to do it like an expert? Well, for starters, keep the cage on. This will help you control the cork when it pops. It also gives you an upper hand when separating the cork from the bottle.
To remove the cork from the bottle, you need to hold the top of the cage using your thumb. This helps in keeping the cork in place. Then untwist the muselet- 6 times should be enough. Once this is done, using one hand, hold the cork and the cage together. The other hand should then be used to hold the bottle at the base and twist it in a circular motion. You twist the bottle instead of the cork because it gives you more control and allows you to be gentler when removing the cork.
- Best Glass to Serve Champagne
When it comes to the perfect glass, you need to pick one that enhances the aromas, and the flavors of the champagne. If you are not feeling the aromas and the flavors in your champagne then you are not enjoying it well.
The best glass to use is the white wine glass. Its larger bowl enhances the aromas and flavors of the champagne. What better way to savor the complexity of the champagne than this? Some people will insist on serving champagne in the traditional champagne flute of the coupe glass.
The problem with a champagne flute is that the shape limits you from enjoying the aromas and the flavors of the champagne. If you are looking for something that brings out the bubbles of the champagne so well, then the flute is a perfect choice.
Coupes, too, will not give you a chance to enjoy the aromas and the flavors of the champagne. The extra-wide mouth of the coupe glass exposes the champagne to a lot of air, which in return allows the aromas and the bubbles to escape quickly.
- Best Way to Store Champagne
As much as you want to serve the champagne chill, the fridge might not be the best storage area. If you have bought the champagne a few days in advance, you can store it in the fridge. Do not let it sit there for weeks though, because the lack of humidity in the fridge dries out the cork. When the cork dries out, the seal loosens up, which makes the champagne to oxidize faster.
This, of course, makes it lose the aromas and the flavors we all look so forward to in champagnes. The best place to store a bottle of champagne for long period of times is in a cool place with consistent temperatures, and away from light.
When ready to serve it, or once you have opened the bottle, the ideal place to store it is in an ice bucket with ice and 1/3 full of water. This will chill it to the ideal temperature, which usually is around 50° F. You can cool it for around 15-20 minutes.
Still on storage, once the bottle is open, ensure you have a good stopper to help you preserve those bubbles. A good stopper can preserve the champagne for a day in case you have some left-over.
Tip: Invest in an ice bucket. It is worth spending money on for such occasions. Amazon, Jumia Kenya, and Vitu Zote can help with that. (Disclaimer: This is not a paid article, companies mentioned are from a user experience.)
- How to Pour Champagne
Pour it like the expert you have become! How, well do not overflow your visitors’ glasses. Fill it to only 1/3 full because over-pouring it makes it to warm-up fast.
- Holding the Glass
Hold the STEM of the glass! If you hold it by the bowl your palm will warm the glass and the champagne too quickly. You do not want that unless, of course, you do not care about savoring the content of this precious drink. Also, holding the glass by the stem turns you into the expert and elegant drinker you are- or trying to be.
- Best Foods to Pair With
Do not shy from experimenting with your drink and foods. Champagne is not used only as an aperitif- do not be fooled. You can pair it with meat, fish, caviar, oysters, grilled vegetables, BBQ sauce, lobsters fried chicken, and truffle fries among others. The secret is that champagne goes well with fatty, salty and oily foods! You can’t go wrong with such kind of pairing. These foods bring out the exquisite tastes of champagne.
Finally, do not limit yourself. These tips will help you in your champagne serving and drinking like a pro. Enjoy a glass of champagne any day and every day! If you are storing a bottle for an occasion, it is the high time you enjoyed it, even on your own. When you are all old or dying we do not want you to have the same regret as John M. Keynes whose only regret in this life was not drinking enough Champagne.
