I’m digging into a new pile of files, looking for things not necessarily to toss but to comment on. Also, things that have baffled me as to where to file them. Case in point:

Some years ago I had a conversation with two of my favourite champagne companions—over champagne, of course. We were discussing the various sizes of champagne bottles, most of which we had never drunk, at least not by title though perhaps on occasion a similar amount, still far below the outer reaches of possible (?) consumption. My host left us to check Google and found an item listing the sizes, titles and amounts of our dear libation. He wrote the list in pencil and I took it home and copied it and printed it out but I never knew where to put it. It showed up today and I still don’t know where to file it so i offer it to you.

Huitième 1/8 bottle 9.4 cl. 1 small glass

Quart 1/4 bottle 18,75 cl. 2 small glasses [This is also called a split by some. I call it a piccolo—the size sold in a three-pack—two flutes, perfect with ripe blackberries tossed in, better than kir royale.)

Demi-bouteille 1/2 bottle 3.75 cl. 3 glasses

Bouteille 1 bottle 75 cl. 6 glasses

Maagnum 2 bottles 150 cl. 12 glasses (You can tell this is big-it was my/our limit.)

Jeroboam (King of Israel in 9th century B.C.)

4 bottles 3 litres 24 glasses

Rehoboam (Son of Solomon and King of Israel in 10th century B.C).

6 bottles 4.5 litres 36 glasses

Methuselah (Named after the biblical patriarch who lived 969 ans, without any Champagne.)

8 bottles 6 litres 48 glasses

Salmanazar (Named after an Assyrian king that lived in the 9th century B.C.)

12 bottles 9 litres 72 glasses

Balthazar (Named after a regent of Babylon, living in the 6th century B.C.)

16 bottles 12 litres 96 glasses

Nebuchadnezzar (The king of Babylon who lived in the 6th century B.C.)

20 bottles 15 litres 120 glasses

Maybe I’ll put the list in my liquor cabinet.