Toys to Go With That Champagne

Sure, there's a lot to consider when you buy that special bottle of
New Year's bubbly. But while you're weighing all the obvious questions
about vintages and price, here's a less obvious but equally important
consideration -- namely, how you're going to serve it.

We're talking the real essentials of Champagne and
other sparklers, as in the ways to chill them, open them and even tell
if you've enjoyed too much of them. With that mind, here are some items
to add to your New Year's Eve shopping list.

The chiller: There are many ways to get that bottle down
to the right temperature -- and we're not talking sticking it in the
fridge. If you're looking for something quick and efficient, Cooper Cooler
makes a plug-in chiller, available starting at $59.99, that promises to
cool a bottle to 43 degrees Fahrenheit in six minutes. But there's also
the traditional ice-bucket route -- just make sure you add both ice and
water to speed the cooling (ice alone takes longer).

The opener: Worried you'll poke your eye out? Metrokane, maker of the popular Rabbit corkscrew, has a clever (and relatively affordable) solution with its Champagne Pliers ($20). The company touts the gizmo as "perfectly shaped to fit over the cork, grasp and remove it with ease and safety."

The mixer: Sure, great bubbly can easily stand on its own.
But we love sparklers for the effervescence they also bring to
cocktails. Many fruit syrups and juices or liqueurs make for fine
pairings: Think such classic champagne cocktails as the Kir Royale
(champagne and crème de cassis) or the mimosa (champagne and orange
juice). But master sommelier George Miliotes, beverage director of the
Seasons 52 restaurant chain, gave us another suggestion -- Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. With its sweet and tart flavor, "it pairs beautifully," Miliotes said. (And don't forget all those health benefits of the antioxidant-rich fruit, either!)