Pulque (fermented agave sap, pre-Columbian)

Central Mexico highlands — pre-Columbian ritual drink of the Aztec empire; still produced in Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, and Mexico City

Pulque is the oldest alcoholic beverage of Mesoamerica — made from aguamiel (honey water), the fresh sap collected from the central cavity of mature maguey agave plants. A tlachiquero scrapes and drains the agave piñas daily using a gourd (acocote) to collect the sap, which is then fermented naturally with ambient yeast and bacteria in large vats. Pulque is low-alcohol (4–8% ABV), viscous from polysaccharide content, and consumed fresh — it spoils within days. Curado (flavoured pulque) is mixed with fresh fruit or cereals.

Sour, mildly alcoholic, slightly viscous, yeasty — unlike any other fermented beverage; unique texture and tangy freshness