The newest trend among the hipsters of Mexico City is an ancient beverage, created by the Aztecs, called pulque. According to the Global Post, pulque is a beverage distilled from agave nectar, like tequila and mescal. The difference is that pulque packs far less of a lethal punch and sells for a lot cheaper. The beverage is often flavored, with celery, oatmeal, and strawberry being the most common types. The flavored pulque is even less potent than it's unflavored brethren, and falls in the alcohol range of a cerveza, or a beer.
The beverage retails for about 1 dollar and 65 cents a pint, and is reported to be nearly hangover proof.
Before this new fad began, pulque was a time honored beverage amongst the distinguished and more aged in Mexico, and was seen as a cultural beverage of those descended from Aztecs. Now, the trend has shifted to a younger crowd in pulquerias, where the beverage has been served in some cases for over a century. The pulquerias had become a dying breed, having been beaten down through years of changing tastes toward beers and liquors. But the new trend has the old joints hopping again.
David Bravo, the barman at the 102-year-old pulqueria Duelistas claims that the trend in age is noticeable. "All kids. Of every hundred people who come in now perhaps two or three are older."
The fad drink has brought new life to the old bars, and has also brought a spike in the production of the ancient beverage. Yet the culture that had surrounded the beverage may be dying out, as pulquerias were renowned for their space and quiet. Now, the kids drink the beverage to make a statement. Bartender Melly Leyva says that they have lost sight of the meaning of the drink. "They don't value it as part of our culture, our traditions. They don't know their history."
