Mexico's ancient beverage of pulque makes a comeback

A couple sit outside La Nuclear pulqueria in Mexico City. [Photo/Agencies]

In areas around Tepotzotlan, pulque fanatics including farmers, growers and urban residents for the last three years have organized a sort of pulque caravan complete with food, horseback riding, music, pulque-drinking competitions and burros laden with wooden barrels of the beverage.

Carlos Eladio Contreras, a festival organizer, said "it's about rescuing traditions, right?"

"Before, drinking pulque was looked down on, people would say, "Oh, no, drinking pulque is really low class," he said. "Now, fortunately, the young people are taking this up, rescuing something, its essence, and rescue the identity of their people and the land where pulque is born, which is the maguey fields."

Ricardo Gallardo Leon is a bearded twenty-something Mexico City resident who drinks at the "Las Duelistas" pulqueria downtown.

"I like this because it is something we inherited from our ancestors and because my family also drinks it," said Gallardo Leon. "It's something we shouldn't lose."

The mainly small, artisanal producers complain that tax codes, health codes and commercial requirements have conspired to keep their pulque businesses small.

Jesus Hernandez, another organizer of the pulque caravan, said the government requirements are almost impossible to comply with, so he sells the beverage out of tanks in the back of his truck.

When seeing the cost required to become a registered producer, Hernandez whistles and says, "Man, if I had that much money, I'd be doing something else for a living, right?"