# Bar tricks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-tricks/125338 "2002-08-24T04:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![knsgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@knsgee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knsgee)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-tricks/125338/1 "2002-08-24T04:26:24Z")
Anybody know how to extract a cork that has been forced into an empty wine bottle using a tea towel or other light fabric? Without damaging the wine bottle(of course). ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-tricks/125338/2 "2002-08-24T14:02:35Z")
It’s been discussed in [this recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33596) starting with [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33596&postid=642108#post642108). ---
**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-tricks/125338/3 "2002-08-24T14:28:12Z")
There is an easier way. The best part about this is that it works while the wine is still in the bottle. As a cloth anything is fairly thick and has plenty of friction, here is an alternative. Take a long drinking straw, fold it in half. You may want to put two folds in the straw, with the folds about a corks width apart. Insert the the folded end of the straw into the wine bottle. Get the straw around the cork in the manner of a person standing in a swing seat. Pull the whole thing out. With the cork floating high in the bottle full of wine, it isn’t too hard to accomplish.