There’s one party trick that every Footman worth his title must master: uncorking champagne. With New Year’s Eve only days away, we turned to the master of graceful entertaining for a proper how-to.
In the new book, Downton Abbey: Rules for Household Staff ($14, amazon.com), Charles Carson, Butler to the Earl of Grantham, outlines the proper, elegant rules that all butlers, housekeepers, valets, lady’s maids, cooks, assistant cooks, kitchen maids, footmen, and housemaids should master in order to run a house as perfectly as the Downton Abbey staff.
PHOTOS: What You Need To Host A Downton Abbey Viewing Party
“I have been called a hard task-master and I do not shirk the charge,” Mr.
Carson writes in the foreword to the book. “I have thought fit to assemble this little book of suggestions that I hope the aspirant servant, either at Downton Abbey or elsewhere, may find informative and useful.”PHOTOS: Festive Wintery Cocktail Ideas for Your New Year’s Fête
Read on for the proper way to uncork your New Year’s Eve champagne—white gloves recommended.
The seemingly simple task of uncorking a bottle of champagne carries great potential for embarrassment. The French seem oblivious to such concerns with their penchant for sabrage, holding the bottle at arm’s length and swiping the neck just under the cork and sending champagne cascading everywhere. Follow this method to avoid such indignities:
1. Cut the wire at the rim of the bottle and then remove each string in the same way.
2. Hold the cork down with the left thumb and use a penknife to scrape away any dirt which may have accumulated between the overlapping cork and rim, a particular problem with older bottles.
3. Extract the cork very slowly so that it makes no noise on its release, and have a glass to hand in case the wine is lively and bubbles forth.
4. Wait for the liquid to settle and only serve when the wine flows out steadily.
5. Fill a champagne glass to about a quarter of an inch from the brim.
6. Refill half-empty glasses to this level as required, but be wary of refilling too often lest you encourage excessive consumption.
PHOTOS: InStyle’s 20 Best Party Throwing Tips, Ever
RELATED: 13 of Our Favorite Cookie Recipes