flipChambertin Cut with Water
Chambertin Cut with Water
Why this dish? Napoleon drank little and always the same wine: Chambertin, a great Burgundy from Gevrey, which he had brought along on campaigns and which he cut with water at table. Drinking soberly, never getting drunk, was part of his discipline as a man of war.
The Emperor's favorite great Burgundy, served not pure but lengthened with cool water—a temperance habit that transforms a prestigious wine into a simple table beverage, slightly vinous and refreshing.
They have often seen me raise my glass, never have they seen me drunk. My wine is Chambertin, and no other: I had it carted in my wagons all the way to the heart of Russia. But I always cut it with water—a leader who clouds his head loses the battle before fighting it. Drink thus, in moderation, and keep your mind clear: sobriety is the first of weapons.
- •Chambertin wine (Gevrey, Burgundy) — half a glass (base)
- •Cool water — half a glass (dilution)
Chambertin Cut with Water
The Emperor's favorite great Burgundy, served not pure but lengthened with cool water—a temperance habit that transforms a prestigious wine into a simple table beverage, slightly vinous and refreshing.
Why this dish? Napoleon drank little and always the same wine: Chambertin, a great Burgundy from Gevrey, which he had brought along on campaigns and which he cut with water at table. Drinking soberly, never getting drunk, was part of his discipline as a man of war.
They have often seen me raise my glass, never have they seen me drunk. My wine is Chambertin, and no other: I had it carted in my wagons all the way to the heart of Russia. But I always cut it with water—a leader who clouds his head loses the battle before fighting it. Drink thus, in moderation, and keep your mind clear: sobriety is the first of weapons.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chambertin wine (Gevrey, Burgundy) — half a glass (base)
- Cool water — half a glass (dilution)
Ingredients
- Red Burgundy wine (Gevrey-Chambertin or Pinot Noir) — 100 ml (base)
- Cool water (still or very lightly sparkling) — 100 ml (dilution)
- Red grape juice — to taste (non-alcoholic alternative)
Method
- Pour the red wine into a stemmed glass at cellar temperature (15-16°C).
- Add an equal volume of cool water, to taste (Napoleon preferred it well cut).
- Stir gently and serve immediately, with the meal.
- Family/school version: replace the wine with red grape juice diluted with a little sparkling water for a festive non-alcoholic drink.
How it was made : Cutting wine with water was a common table practice until the 19th century, inherited from Antiquity, allowing one to drink throughout the meal without getting drunk and to purify sometimes questionable water. Chambertin accompanied the Emperor everywhere, even on the frozen roads of the Russian campaign in 1812.
The contemporary twist : For adults, serve it on ice in summer as a proto-"Burgundian spritz," with an orange slice—imperial temperance revisited as a light aperitif.
Sources : Las Cases, Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène · Mémoires de Constant, premier valet de chambre de l'Empereur
Napoleon Bonaparte · Charactorium
