Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary

Subject: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Dec 15 - 11:14 AM

The poem is called "Sun and Fun," and under copyright, no doubt. The setting is a nightclub, the time is the morning after. The second stanza goes:

I pulled aside the thick magenta curtain
So Regency, so Regency, my Dear,
And a host of little spiders
Ran a race across the ciders
To a box of baby 'pollies by the beer.

Somehow "baby 'pollies" sounds like it means something other than politicians this time around....but what?
Has been set to music by Madeleine Dring, who retitled it, "Song of the Nightclub Proprietress."

Final stanza:
There was sun enough for lazing upon beaches
There was fun enough for far into the night
But I'm dying now, and done for
What on earth was all the fun for
I am ill and old and terrified and TIGHT.

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: Megan L
Date: 28 Dec 15 - 11:28 AM

There was a German bottled water available about the time the poem was written called Apollinaris they were sometimes referred to as pollies

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: GUEST,Gilly
Date: 28 Dec 15 - 11:29 AM

'Polly' = Pol Roger champagne.

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 28 Dec 15 - 11:36 AM

mentioned by Megan...
http://everything.explained.today/Apollinaris_(water)/ "Apollinaris (water) exp 

Brand:        Apollinaris
Country:        Germany/USA
Source:        Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
Type:        sparkling
Website:        apollinaris-gmbh.de
Apollinaris is a German naturally sparkling mineral water, well known in German-speaking countries as "The Queen of Table Waters".

History
The spring was discovered by chance in 1852 in Georg Kreuzberg's vineyard, in Bad Neuenahr, Germany. He named it after St Apollinaris of Ravenna, a patron saint of wine. The red triangle symbol and the slogan "The Queen of Table Waters" were adopted as trademarks in 1895. By 1913 the company was producing 40 million bottles a year, 90% of which were exported worldwide.
...In the UK and Ireland, Apollinaris was sold in small bottles, which were marketed as 'The Baby 'Polly'. The poem 'Sun and Fun' by Sir John Betjeman, published in 1954, includes the stanza..."

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Dec 15 - 11:48 AM

Small bottles, eh? Got it. Many many thanks.

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 02 Mar 19 - 11:42 AM

Well, from this question you can tell that
I rarely darken the door of a bar or a pub, but:

what , in drinks/bartending, is a "split" ?

It seems that the "Baby Polly"
is also referred to as an Apollinaris split. ??

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 02 Mar 19 - 02:03 PM

Split usually refers to a very small bottle: 187.5ml

The Wikipedia article on Appolonaris (water) certainly thinks the poem's reference is the the mineral water rather than champagne (3/4 way down the page).

Mick

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: Joe_F
Date: 02 Mar 19 - 05:30 PM

I also had to look up kummel. It's a caraway liqueur.

Subject: RE: Help: John Betjeman poem vocabulary
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Mar 19 - 11:35 AM

Someone is selling on eBay -- if this link works --
you can see a photograph of the item for sale.

It includes two little bottles with a label that says
"Apollinaris Baby Polly."

antique leather picnic canteen