139 / 164
OF
MIXED DRINKS
139
When conditioning
Champagne
for
service, the
chilling
of the same should
be
slowly
and
carefully
done by
placing
the
warm
bottle
in
a
refrigerator
for
several hours and
not
packed in ice
until shortly
before serving.
Taking
wines from the case
or shelf
and
packing
them
in
ice is
a
very serious mistake,
as
chilling
too
quickly
robs them of
their life
and
vinosity.
Should the time
for conditioning
be
short, place
the
wine in
a
bucket of cold
water
as
it
runs from
the faucet, adding
a
few lumps
of
ice every ten
to fifteen minutes and
in this
way preserve the
good
quality
of
your
wine.
Old
vintage wines
should be served
at
a
temper
ature
of
about
45
degrees
while
the young vintages
showing
more
life
are served best at about
38
de
grees.
Non-vintage
Champagnes may be served
at
a
tem
perature of
32
degrees.
Upon
taking
the bottle
from
the cooler
it
should
be
well
wrapped
with
а.
napkin
so
the
warm
hand
of
the
waiter
will
not
come
in
contact
with
the
bottle and agitato the wine.
Cap,
wire
and
string
should
be
carefully
removed,
head of bottle cleaned and the
cork slowly
drawn
so
all
gas may
be
retained in
the wine.
Care should
be
taken to have the glasses clean
and
dry
and
to
always serve the host
ñrst. This is
an old time custom
which is
done to give the host
a
chance to taste the
wine
before
serving
his guests.
Glasses should not
be
filled
more than
within
one
fourth inch from
the brim.
The
Ritz
champagne glass is unquestionably the
best and most
practical in
the
serving
of
sparkling
wines because
it
is compact and does not agitate