The appetizers are ready, the table set, the candles lit… And as your guests arrive in 10 minutes, you realize that you forgot to refrigerate the champagne. Rest assured, we have all experienced this situation before. In this case, there are two solutions: put the drinks in the refrigerator and wait for 1 hour, or follow our tips to cool your bottles in a few minutes.
Refresh a bottle quickly: 3 methods that work
The salt and ice method
Take out the ice bucket and fill it with water and ice cubes, then place your drinks in it. So far, nothing revolutionary since it is a technique frequently used in restaurants and bars to keep bottles cool. There is, however, a subtlety to speeding up the cooling process. In fact, with just water and ice cubes, it should take 30 minutes for the bottle to be cool enough. But, by adding a handful of fine or coarse salt, you will obtain the same result in just 10 minutes. The reason being that the salt melts the ice, which will cause the water, and therefore the bottles, to cool down more quickly. It’s all about chemistry!
The absorbent paper method
It consists of wrapping damp sheets of absorbent paper around a bottle, before storing it in the refrigerator. Water being an excellent conductor of cold, a few minutes are enough for our drink to be at temperature.
The sun method
Yes, you read correctly. The principle is the same as with absorbent paper, with one difference. This time you will need a damp cloth, which you will wrap around a bottle. Then place it in the sun, and if possible, in a draft. As the moisture evaporates, it also absorbs all the heat from the bottle. As a result, not only does it not heat up, but it is even colder than before.
Note that this is a method that also works in summer, for your long picnic days.
Putting your drinks in the freezer: good or bad idea?
Who has never tried to cool wine in the freezer? We might as well warn you right away, it’s better to avoid it, whatever the liquid. First, many are at risk of freezing. So if you forget the bottle in the freezer, it may explode, because the liquids solidify and take up more space. Not to mention that sodas and sparkling wines (champagne, crémant, sparkling, etc.) contain gases. However, these do not go well with freezing.
The other argument against the freezer is that it alters flavors. It would be a shame if your best bottles lost their aromas after being refrigerated.
Read: 10 foods that should definitely not be frozen
