Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide

HINTS AND RULES FOR BARTENDERS

15. When champagne has been well iced, it requires a good deal of care in handling the bottles; cold renders the glass brittle, and less able to withstand the expansive pressure of the contents.

16. Bottles containing champagne, or any other brisk wines, must be kept laying down; if in an upright position for any length of time, the corks become dry, and the gas is liable to escape.

17. During the process of cooling sparkling wines, the bottles should not be placed in direct contact with the ice, because that portion of the bottle which touches the ice cools more rapidly than the remainder, causing unequal contraction and consequent tendency to crack.

18. When sparkling wines are served in the bottle, they should be put in an ice-pail, and the space between the bottles and pail filled with ice broken small. "When the bottle is entirely surrounded by ice, the liability of cracking from unequal contraction does not exist.

19. When Champagne is in occasional use, being served by the glass or for mixing beverages, it is a good plan to place the bottle on a rack, the neck sloping downwards, and insert through the cork a corkscrew syphon provided with a cut off or faucet, by the use of which a small portion may be drawn off at a time without allowing any escape of the gas.