Margaritas might make for a memorable night out on the town, but a tequila hangover is a steep price to pay. Thanks to Pulqueria, a new underground hotspot in Manhattan’s Chinatown, fans of Mexican merriment have a gentler alcoholic option to enjoy.
Pulque, a cloudy beverage made from fermented maguey sap, is a big hit south of the border, where hundreds of small pubs (known as pulquerias) dispense the mild, tangy drink, which contains around 6% alcohol on average. After multiple trips to Mexico, brother-and-sister team Christopher and Heather Tierney had the idea to start a pulque-centric restaurant in downtown Manhattan (to their knowledge, the first establishment serving pulque in the U.S.), next door to their artisanal bar, Apotheke. Pulqueria’s drinks menu includes six kinds of infused pulque, including jicama, watermelon and the ever-popular tamarind, but purists might prefer to sip it straight, while munching on Ahi tuna–topped tostadas or sikil pak, a Mayan pumpkin seed dip. In addition to a mellow buzz, pulque is packed with a host of vitamins and minerals — in Mexico, it’s even popular with pregnant women, who drink it for its supposed prenatal benefits. While that last claim might not hold up to FDA scrutiny, it’s a good way to feel less guilty about imbibing. And should you start to thirst for something with a bit more bite, you can always kick it up a notch with a shot of mezcal.
Pulqueria, 11 Doyers Street, New York
Sameer Reddy is a New York-based artist and regular contributor to the T Magazine’s blog, The Moment and W. Photos by J. Kenji López
