Pulque

I was at Devon Market and found Pulque... an Aztec fermented cactus drink...6% alcohol and kind of like a woody Zima... I had to post about it.

http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2005/05/p ... _ca_1.html

Has anyone ever have this?

Interesting you just posted about this. To my great surprise, I saw a pulque deliviery truck the other day driving in Evanston, and was wondering where to obtain some. I have had both canned pulque (in Tlaxcala) and fresh brew (on the island of Janitzio, near Patzcuaro in Michoacan) in Mexico.
Apparently, pulquerias, where they made the brew freshly, used to be a common sight in many Mexican towns. However, the clientele was mostly lower class and they were associated with rowdy behavior, so I am told that most of them are now located in seedier barrios of larger towns, places where tourists are unlikely to go (and where I wouldn't advise venturing wihtout a guide who knows what he or she is doing.) A pity, as I could easily acquire a taste for this.
I am struck by the parallels with palm wine, which can be obntained here in bottles, but of course the bottled variety does not compare with freshly brewed wine, readily avaialble in the tropical forests of West Africa but not in Chicago, surprisingly enough.

A not so supermercado just down the street on Ashland in my old environs, Wicker Park, used to carry it in cans. I'm not sure I truly appreciated it's phlegmy texture, dank aftertaste, and negligible buzz. The infamous roadside Mexican jugstands must be where it's at .

it's funny you say palm wine... I kind of get a strange note of sake in it... it's that fermented flavor? Once you get past that density of it I think it's pretty good.

I'm certain the vaqueros sip pulque divining hints of formaldehyde and sunstroke.

It's worth noting that it's not just any cactus, but the same cactus, Maguey/agave, used to make tequila/mezcal. I've seen the process on a couple shows about Mexico, but never in person, despite being near major production centers a couple times. It's impressive looking out over the expansive fields of agave.

On a trip to Mazatlan a year and a half ago, during a dia de los muertos celebration, they were pulling a big barrell of pulque, pumping it out to the crowd. I don't drink, really, so I wasn't too eager to try it. I'd heard it's a rather acquired taste, and I can't even stand beer.

On my trip out to Chicago last year, though, I went to El Chorito and had tepache, which actually wasn't bad. Tepache is essentially hard pineapple juice. I could imagine drinkin that stuff. I've considered trying to make it, but Kennedy's description of using cheesecloth to filter out the maggots has kept me from trying it.

After looking around it seems that it's a drink that's on the way to extinction... lots of news sites talk about that aspect of it. The old method of sucking the juice out paired with the consistency is kind of gross and misleading. There's no spitting involved... but it does cast a pall of ick over the product.

Commercial, canned pulque is all over the place here. You can buy cheap cases of it at Westbrook Market in Westmont, if you are so inclined. Look for it next to the Croatian and Moldavian wines, near the Polish malt liquors.

JeffB wrote:Commercial, canned pulque is all over the place here. You can buy cheap cases of it at Westbrook Market in Westmont, if you are so inclined. Look for it next to the Croatian and Moldavian wines, near the Polish malt liquors.

Hey, hasn't anyone ever heard of the Pulque Polka?



(Im Himmel gibt es kein(-en?) Pulque.)

I had to share an amusing anecdote (to me at least). A few weeks ago, my sweetheart and I were in the Yucatan splitting our time mainly between Progreso and Merida. On our way to find a place called "El Tucho" we passed what I thought was a pulqueria. Having never had the drink before and finding it in its native Mexico, I got excited, made a mental note of its location, and returned there two days later....only to find out it was peluquria (hair salon.) Stupid similar looking words! I even noticed the "Unisex" on the sign my first pass, and just assumed (for whatever stupid reason) that pulquerias were traditionally male-only bars, and this one welcomed both males and females. Yeah, should've been a clue right there, I know. *smacks forehead*

(Turns out that the Yucatan is no place to find pulque. Every restaurant server and bartender we asked about it in Progreso and Merida gave us a quizzical look and tone of voice suggesting "Why in the hell would you want to drink that stuff" and authoritatively stated you couldn't find it in town.) We did see fruit-flavored canned pulque being sold at the gates of Uxmal (a Mayan ruin), but this was before I found out my "pulqueria" was a hair dresser, so I declined.

Anybody have any input on what the better pulques available in Chicagoland are? I've never had it, so I have absolutely no idea what I should be looking out for. For all I know, there's only one brand available.

Boy, if you find any I'd be interested to hear about it. I've had the real thing somewhere south of Mexico City. It was OK. Not bad. I suppose you could get used to it. It was freshly made, kind of like in a bathtub. I must have been nuts to drink it, but I suffered no ill effects. Not sure if pasteurized and canned would be the same.

I actually found three brands and just picked two of them up at La Vinata. I may post pictures later.

The first brand is Pulque la Lucha. They advertise a website at pulquelalucha.com, but it's not opening up for me. (Ah, found it here). I had thought I was buying a plain flavor, but after a taste and closer inspection, I note that it's Pina Colada flavor. This came in a six-pack of 12 oz bottles. 5.5% abv. Ingredients: Fermented Agave 93%, natural coconut-pineapple flavor 7%. Contains fructose & or sugar.

The second brand is Pulque Hacienda 1881. This came in a 4-pack of 11.3 oz cans. There is one ingredient: 100% fermented agave juice.

So, my thoughts on the Pulque Hacienda. It pours a milky yellowish-white. Looks similar to a pastis or ouzo that has been louched (when you add water to it and it turns a cloudy white.) The nose has a distinct, sweet-and-sour funk to it, but is not overpowering. The instructions on the can say to shake well, so, as expected, this drink has no fizz to it. The mouthfeel is heavy, maybe that of whole milk. Flavor is fairly restrained, but unique. It's got a little bit of sourness to it with a slight lingering sauerkraut (lactic) funk, and a vague hint of tropical fruits. There's also a gentle sweetness to the drink, like the type of sweetness you'd find in coconut cream. I could maybe make out some vague hints of a tequila flavor in it, but were I not informed this drink is made from the same plant, I would not have noticed it on my own.

The Pulque la Lucha is similar in mouthfeel and appearance. Pours a little bit darker, but the body is a little lighter. Nose is distinctly coconut. Taste is sweeter than the unflavored Pulque, without being syrupy. Oddly enough, this one seems to have a little more of that cabbage-like funk to it than the unflavored Pulque Hacienda. I would be interested in tasting an unflavored version of this brand. I'll have to look more closely at the labels next time, because they had a couple rows of six packs of Pulque la Lucha, so I suspect one of them may have been the 100% natural one.

I only wish I had the opportunity to taste some in Mexico to compare. My impression was that it was supposed to be a bit of an acquired taste. Even though I acquire many tastes pretty quickly, the pulque I bought seems rather unobjectionable to me. I wonder if it's like the difference between mainstream American & British apple ciders and the sort of stuff you'll find from Normandy or the Basque country (which can be quite sour, complex, and funky, especially the Basque products.)

La Vinata
3124 W Cermak Rd
Chicago, IL 60623-3448
(773) 521-0280

Now that I know you can find it in cans, I will definitely keep an eye out for it. The stuff I had was served room temperature. Not sure if that makes a difference, or if there is even a proper way to drink it.

Bottles, too. I found it in the refrigerated section of that particular store. There was a third brand they were selling, a passion fruit flavored pulque, that came in individual small plastic bottles reminiscent of those "drinkable yogurt" containers. I didn't buy one, nor did I take note of the brand. I'll let the stuff I have warm up to room temp and see what happens.

Whole Foods at least the one at 1550 N Kingsbury sells 4-5 different flavors in cans for $2.00 ea in the liquor section or you can enjoy one for the same price at their bar.