Pulque
The ancient, milky drink of the Mexican highlands: lightly fizzy, gently sour, alive — pulque is fermented, never distilled, and older than the Aztec empire. Ingredients: aguamiel, the sweet sap of the maguey agave, naturally fermented; flavored “curados” add fruits, nuts or celery. Method: 1) Tap a mature maguey and collect its sap daily. 2) Ferment it in vats with a starter of mature pulque until it turns viscous, white and lightly effervescent — only a few percent alcohol. 3) Serve fresh, the same day, in a glass or gourd at a pulquería. The experience: like drinking a soft, tangy cloud — part yogurt drink, part beer, entirely itself. History: pulque was sacred in pre-Hispanic Mexico, tied to the goddess Mayahuel and ritual life; in the 1800s grand pulquerías anchored Mexico City social life. It cannot travel or wait — you must go to it.