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The coolest thing about steakhouses...
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
The coolest thing about steakhouses...
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| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
...is when the sommelier preserves the label of the bottle of wine you liked so much, as shown above. As with skinning cats, there's more than one way to get the label off the bottle without ripping it; fancy-pants steakhouses tend to use ready-made label removers like Oenophilia Label Lift, a product similar to the one shown in the photo.
Since ready-made label removers can be expensive, there are a few other ways to get the label off the bottle without destroying it; they work for beer bottles, too.
Hair-Dryer Method: Turning the hair dryer to its hottest setting, hold the nozzle directly over the label, moving it all around to cover the entire area. The heat from the dryer will melt the adhesive that attaches the label to the bottle, making it easy to peel. This also works on any kind of irritating sticker (i.e., prices on the glass of picture frames) you need to remove, and has the benefit of being free if you already own a hair dryer.
Packing/Shipping Clear Tape: Place a large piece of tape, leaving as big a margin around the label as possible, over the label. Smooth down any air bubbles with the back of a spoon and let the tape rest on the label a few hours or overnight. Starting at a corner, peel the tape up slowly. This will lift up the colored part of the label and leave the gluey backing behind.
Hot Water & Dish Soap: Soak the bottle in very hot water, adding just a few drops of dish soap. Allow to soak for at least 15-30 minutes; gently peel label away. Too much soap will disintegrate the label, so use sparingly.
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