Commemorating a job well done or a festive occasion in the office? Perhaps you're throwing a large party, or making a New Year's toast under the stars. Sometimes life calls for plastic. Plastic stemware allows you the luxury of champagne in a way that is economical, stress-free, and even eco-friendly. Done right, a plastic-glassed champagne toast is both tasty and tasteful.
Instructions
Use Plastic Glasses for a Champagne Toast
1. You can find plastic champagne glasses at many party stores, liquor stores, large pharmacies and superstores. However, some of the best deals are online. For a sturdy glass, go for a one-piece. These do not require assembly and, unlike many glasses with a separate cup and stem, won't fall apart mid-toast.
There are several appropriate types of glasses for serving champagne. The most common is the tall and narrow champagne flute. A glass with a narrow rim, like a flute or a tulip glass, will reduce the contact of CO2 with the air, helping bubbles survive longer than they do in the shallow, bowl-shaped coupe.This flute's shape both retains champagne's effervescence and enhances the visual effect of bubbles rising to the top of the glass. Also esthetically pleasing is the trumpet flute, which is shaped like a "V" with a particularly narrow bottom and slightly wider top than the champagne flute. Many high-quality champagne flutes have a tulip shape, and the term "tulip glass" is sometimes used interchangeably with "champagne flute," but there is a difference: Tulip glasses are tall like a flute, but have a wider body near the middle of the bowl for swirling and developing aromatics, and narrow in at the lip.
2. Chill your champagne. Wine expert Chris Kissak, known online as "The Winedoctor," recommends serving high-quality champagne at 46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and serving lower-quality and/or sweeter champagne at 39 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the temperature of your refrigerator, it may take between one to three hours to chill. If you are using an ice bucket, fill the bucket with equal parts ice and water, and let the champagne sit for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Even if you choose to chill your champagne in a refrigerator, an ice bucket is a useful, decorative way to keep bottles chilled as you sip.
3. When opening the bottle, have your glasses lined up beside you. Remove the foil from the top of the bottle. Hold the bottle away from you at a 45-degree angle. Slowly untwist the wire cage. Using a dishtowel as a precaution, hold the neck of the bottle with one hand, with your thumb on the cork. Slowly turn the bottle counterclockwise. As you carefully remove the cork, you should hear a soft "hiss" rather than a exploding "pop."
4. Holding the glass by the stem so you don't warm it up, fill the first glass about halfway and wait for the bubbles to subside. Fill each glass three-quarters full, pouring down the side to reduce the head. Give your wrist a slight twist at the end of each pour to minimize spills.
5. Raise your glass, make a toast, lightly touch your neighbors glass with a delicate plastic "clink," and drink!
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