‘Sabering’ the bubbly on New Year’s Eve
Frank Esposito sabers way into record books
Popping the cork on a Champagne bottle is customary during celebrations, especially on New Year’s Eve. But people typically use their hands to get the job done, not a large blade.
For Frank Esposito, general manger of the Coral House in Baldwin, a saber — or curved blade — is his tool of choice when opening a Champagne bottle. And he’s pretty good at it too.
On a second-story roof deck at the Coral House on New Year’s Eve, Esposito lined up dozens of Champagne bottles to see if he could set a new record: most Champagne bottles sabered in one minute. When 60 seconds had passed, Esposito opened 48 bottles by sliding the blade “up the seam of the bottle” on an angle and removing their tops. He said as long that as the champagne is cold, one could get the same results with a spoon instead of a blade.
According to Guinness Word Records, the current mark is 47 bottles sabered in one minute. Guinness must verify Esposito’s footage before his 48 bottles becomes official.
Corks and Champagne were just about everywhere on the roof deck after Esposito finished. He said he practiced the day before and sabered 11 bottles in 14 seconds.
When asked why he went for this record, Esposito, who began working at the Coral House in 1995, said, “Why not? It’s New Year’s Eve.”
After his impressive efforts, Esposito began preparing for the Coral House’s New Year’s festivities, which kicked off a few hours later.
“As far as I know, I got it,” he said of the record. “We’ll wait for Guinness to call it official.”
