All three drinks come from the same family of plants, but pulque is a refreshing beer-like beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave). It is a milky, semi-viscous liquid with a slightly sweet and yeasty flavor.
When the stalk is cut out, it leaves behind a gaping hole, which fills with sweet sap called aguamiel, or honeywater. While the process for making mezcal and tequila requires that aguamiel be cooked, pulque is made by naturally fermenting the raw product in a cask.
Fermentation starts almost immediately after the plant is cut and the aguamiel begins to run; the beverage continues to ferment – and become more alcoholic.
The best pulque took decades to ferment, and was drunk by Aztec nobility and priests during religious festival and victory celebrations. There have been many gods associated with pulque, and more than one cautionary tale about consuming more than five cups in a social setting.
Up to four cups of pulque was generally regarded as safe and fun, but five or more was purported to propel one into a hallucinogenic state, and reserved for spiritual conduits only.
Pulque - the drink of the Gods
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