To open a bottle (of alcohol) with the intention of drinking. We all cracked a couple bottles to celebrate the end of the semester.I like to crack a bottle or two when I get home from work.
Open a bottle so as to drink its contents, as in Let's celebrate by cracking a bottle of champagne! This seemingly modern colloquialism was first recorded in H. Kelly's School for Wives (1773): "When shall we crack a bottle together?"