pulque

Compare mezcal, tequila

An alcoholic beverage that has been made in Mexico since pre-Columbian times. Like tequila and mezcal, pulque is made from plants in the agave family, but unlike those drinks it is simply fermented and not distilled.

To make pulque, when the agave is about to produce a flower stalk, the bud is cut out, forming a depression. Sap collects in the depression. The sap (called “aquamiel”, literally “honeywater”) is collected and fermented.

Aquamiel is also sold unfermented as a sweetener.