Polish Butterfly

The Polish Butterfly is a cocktail, served primarily in Jerusalem.

On a recent visit to the Tavern in Jerusalem, I had the rare opportunity to discuss the making of this drink with the barman. Normally, the few places that make Polish butterflies guard their recipes jealously. I had to guess the ingredients, though Google was eventually confirmed my suspicions (The Polish Butterly has a tiny web-footprint). However, as tourism is down and the bars are happy to have any guests at all, I got to see a polish butterfly being made. They normally serve it pre-mixed and chilled from an old Coca-cola bottle.

The barman at the Tavern showed me that the drink is indeed made from grain alcohol, Blue Curaçao and grenadine, and is served in tall 50ml (two shot) glass. First, the grain alcohol is put in. At least half the glass (25ml) shold be filled, although it's normally much more, and some people fill it up as much as four-fifths. The Curaçao is then added until the glass is really nearly full. A swig of grenadine follows, and the drink goes a weird colour, red at the bottom, clear at the very tip, and a purple/blue in the middle.

It's quite important that tall two-shot glasses are used, and the drink isn't served in a normal cup. The fumes can be overpowering, otherwise.

The Polish Butterfly is famed for its ability to cause rapid intoxication and alcohol poisoning. It is normally served with a pint of water.

Legend has it that nobody has ever had more than eleven in a night and lived.

A Polish Butterfly is best made with 90% Polish Grain. Because of this it can be very very hard to make a 'real' Polish Butterfly outside of a few countries such as Israel and Poland where grain alcohol is readily available.

When you drink one of these you are downing 50 ml of what should be 80% alcohol. This goes a long way to exaplaining its leathality.

Depending on where you are it can be served in several different ways. The prime difference is whether or not it's been mixed, as oppossed to the ingredients just being poured into each other. When served pre-mixed and chilled it seems to have an increased potency, although that may be purely psyhcological.

If you ever want a Polish Butterfly in Jerusalem then try a bar called "The Tavern", anyone in the center of town should be able to tell you where it is.