Waiter’s knife
The waiter's knife, also known as the sommelier knife waiter’s friend or wine key, is a compact tool for bar staff, which consists of a corkscrew, a foil cutter or foil knife and a bottle cap opener. Inspired by the style of a Swiss army knife, these tools are foldable and integrated into a single handle. Some models also have a protruding bottle opener.
Foil cutters are available in form of rotary knives and smooth or serrated blades. The foldable corkscrew with a helix shape is usually made of polished stainless steel and sometimes coated. In expensive models, the middle part is often made of fine wood. Cheaper waiter's knives have a handle made of stainless steel or plastic. A wide and rounded-off hand rest makes working with the waiter's knife more comfortable.
When opening a wine bottle, the foil is first removed with the foil knife. It is cut just below the edge and then removed. The corkscrew is then placed on the cork at a slight angle and straightened up. With a few turns, the helix spindle is then screwed into the cork. It is important to ensure that the cork is not pierced in the process. To finally get the cork our, the lever is put on the edge of the bottle and the cork is pulled upwards. The various waiter's knives differ in this regard as some models use a multi-stage lever that is applied in multiple steps, keeping the spindle in line when pulling out. This also reduces the effort required.
