It was a sacred liquid to the Aztecs and consumed for centuries in Mexico, but the traditional pulque drink seems to be fading in popularity despite its historic roots.
Produced from the sap of the maguey plant, pulque advocates say the drink has medicinal qualities but worry that beer and other standard beverages are pushing it aside.
Beer drinkers can find pulque's taste off-putting and no advertising campaign has been undertaken to promote the drink, said Epifanio Leyva, who runs La Botija, a pulque bar or pulqueria in Mexico City.
"For 15 years the consumption of pulque has fallen due to a lack of advertising by the big bars.
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"At this rate, it's likely that the next generation won't be acquainted with it," said Leyva.
Five pulque bars operate in the district, where there were once 18.
The milky beverage, with a low alcohol content, is served neat or with a taste of honey or fruit. Known as "octli" in the indigenous Nahuatl language, pulque has been a mainstay for workers who do not frequent the Mexican capital's chic bars.
Pulque fans say the drink's status came under attack years ago when the beer industry is said to have spread rumors that the drink was fermented from the feces of animals or humans.
Pulque is really made from the fermented sweet sap of the maguey plant, which is also the source for mezcal - a more potent liquor produced from the heart of the plant instead of the sap. Tequila comes from another type of agave plant.
References to pulque date back centuries in pre-Hispanic Mexico, generating folk tales and myths. Aztecs were believed to use pulque for religious rituals and worshipped a god of pulque.
At Leyva's bar, a glass of pulque goes for 10 pesos (HK$7) and is served with maize tortillas with a spicy salsa.
"You can drink one or two, eat three or four tortillas and you have a meal. Pulque is very nourishing," said Pablo Flores, a stout man with a passion for pulque.
To the relief of La Botija's owner, much of his bar's clientele is young.
"At first, I didn't like the texture," said Saria Fuentes, 21, "then I got used to the taste and now I love it. And it doesn't give you a hangover. What more can you ask for?"
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