A pulque bar.

Most people will probably say tequila, if they are asked what the traditional Mexican drink is. But pulque has a much longer history in Mexico, even if it is not that famous around the world.

Have you heard of pulque? Probably not. The main reason is that you can only get it in Mexico. It’s a drink made from the maguey plant that grows in Mexico, especially in Hidalgo and Tlaxcala, where it’s dry and cold. The maguey plant is a native plant to Mexico and it takes 12 years before the plant is able to produce the juice which is extracted from the plant.

The maguey plant.

The main reason why pulque is not so common these days, is that it is hard to conserve. After the pulque has been made, it needs to be drunk within a couple of days.There been efforts made to put it in cans, but it’s a drink that is better when you drink it fresh. For that reason, the introduction of beer was very hard to the pulque producers. the beer could easily be put in bottles and cans unlike pulque. These days, Mexicans drink mostly beer, but pulque is still alive in some parts of the country. Beer and pulque contains roughly the same amount of alcohol by the way.

Pulque is the oldest alcoholic drink in Mexico.

Pulque dates back from the time before the Spanish arrived. It was considered a sacred drink back in the day and it was reserved for only the wealthy and influential people. But once everyone could have it, it became a very popular way to get drunk in central and eastern Mexico. The farmers who produced the drink would transport the drink in to town in bags made from pigs skin. And then people would feast on it after a hard days work.

How does pulque taste?

I generally like alcoholic drinks, but I must say that pulque is not really for me. The pure pulque is a milk coloured drink that has a very sour smell. It’s also quite slimy. You can have pulque mixed with many tastes these days, ranging from coconut to Pina Colada. But it still has this weird slimy consistence and sour smell that makes it hard for me to drink, even if I would really like to.

But try it. This is one of the most Mexican things you can do when visiting Mexico. And you might just happen to have a different taste than me.

Cheers to the world in the real Mexican deal 🙂