Everyone’s seen the party trick where some guy (it’s almost always a male) grabs a bottle of champagne, shakes it to his heart's content, and then launches the cork out into the universe as a fizzy spray of champagne follows. The trick is the oldest in the champagne book, but as New Year’s Eve approaches, eye experts warn that New Year’s Eve’s drink of choice might lead to eye injury or even blindness.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently issued a statement noting that a champagne cork can fly out of a bottle at speeds up to 50 mph, and with hundreds of eye injuries resulting from popped courts entering doctor’s offices each year, people apparently have not learned their champagne cork lessons, yet. The Ophthalmology group also released a video explaining how to open a champagne bottle the easier, smarter, and classier way.
There are few skill sets needed to open a champagne bottle, but to be on the safe side, you should chill the bottle beforehand, so as to avoid having the cork pop prematurely. Additionally, avoid shaking the bottle and hold a towel over the cork as you attempt to open the bottle. Finally, hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle as you attempt to open it, which should help you to avoid “shooting” your eye out, as it were.
It’s not rocket science, but I am guessing New Year’s Eve will bring in more than a few eye-related injuries due to unsafely opening champagne bottles. So, use that towel with flair, but don’t shake the bottle up, beforehand. Seriously.
