The cliché is inescapable; size matters, even with beverages. Our drinks come in a wide array of vessels with a variety of volumes. We all know the standard pint for beer, the pour of 5 fluid ounces in a wine glass, and the shot of liquor. But these measurements become more complicated. Wine itself comes in up to 10 different sized bottles, ranging from the tiny piccolo (187.5 milliliters), up through the magnum (1.5 liters), and into the ginormous bottles named after biblical kings like Balthazar (12 liters), Nebuchadnezzar (15 liters), and Solomon (20 liters). The volume of beverages speaks to the strength of the drink and the occasion for drinking. In Mexico, where pulque has long been the drink of choice, dozens of drinking vessels are explicitly designed for serving the drink.
Pulque, the fermented sap of the agave plant, has quenched the people of modern day Mexico since ancient times. Traditionally, indigenous Mexica people used clay pottery and gourds to hold the fermenting sap and drink the resulting alcohol. Sometimes, especially in religious contexts, a large pot shaped like a rabbit, called ometochtecomatl, was used to hold pulque. Priests consumed the drink through hollow reeds together. Otherwise, the jícara is the most ancient of the pulque drinking vessels.
As the Spanish conquered Mexico, the cultural expectations surrounding drinking pulque transformed. The drink moved from religious beverage into commercial tipple. Special bars called pulquerías became the norm. Under the presidential regime of Porfirio Diaz around 1900, the beverage reached its zenith. During this time period, the variety of cups used in pulquerías multiplied. The new industry propagated new vessels used for serving the agave drink
Pulque, however, fell out of favor for much of the 1900s and many of the unique vessels and measures used in the drink’s heyday disappeared completely. A waiter at one of the oldest pulquerías in Mexico City notes that only a few of the measures are still in use today: the Jarra, tarro (torreón), vaso, and prueba. Some of the other measures, he says, are known as antiquated or only used by old men. Still others, he considers “weird,” perhaps lost to time existing only in the written record. Ultimately, the modern pulquería will buy whatever cups or vessels it sees fit.
The many measures of pulque tell a story of a variety of drinking occasions. After all, these vessels all held the same beverage. Their size, style, and shape all enhanced the ability to serve specific drinking occasions and do so in style. Some may be extinct, but many still exist in the pulquerías of modern Mexico.
Xoma–a xoma is the most ancient of vessels for drinking pulque. Pulque is the fermented sap of the agave, and a xoma is the leaf or penca of the agave plant itself. Tlachiqueros who makes pulque can remove the spines on the side of the leaves and peel off a layer of translucent, green skin. The thick, aloe-vera-like leaf can then be folded into a broad trough with a small pinch in the middle suitable for drinking. All natural and entirely unstandardized, this is as much a gift from the plant as the beverage is.
Ometochtecomatl–an ometochtecomatl is an ancient and religious vessel used in octli or pulque drinking ceremonies by the Aztecs. These vessels were shaped like rabbits, the patron gods of pulque. The priests of the pulque god cult might consume the drink out of these vessels to achieve ritual drunkenness.
Jícara–a jícara is a cup made from a gourd or calabash that grows on the higuera tree or Crescentia cujete. The Aztecs called the cup xicalli. The volume of this cup varies depending on the size of the gourd it was made from. Today, the jícara is only used in traditional and agricultural contexts. Ancient peoples relied on other gourds to make pulque as well. The acocote, for example, was a long, hollow, gourd used for sucking agave sap from the heart of the plant.
Cajete–a cajete is a shallow bowl. The name comes from the Nahuatl term caxitl which was a bowl used for grinding chili’s, holding tobacco, or storing water. These bowls would have been used several centuries ago for drinking pulque, but are not known today.
Vaso–a vaso, or a cup in English, is the most common measure of pulque. The cup contains a ¼ liter of pulque and is a suitable measure for serving one person. Most modern pulquerías sell pulque by the vaso, charging between 30 and 50 Mexican pesos, $1.50-2.50 USD.
Prueba–a prueba is a taste or a try. In modern pulquerías, a customer might ask for a prueba to try out a curado, or flavored drink. These are small glasses, typically ⅕ liters in volume.
Tornillo-A tornillo, screw in English, was a style of cup used in the heyday of pulquerías. Typically, the glass contained 1 liter of pulque. Its name derives from its appearance: a glass mug with swirling lines winding up its sides. The glass is considered antiquated today and is largely out of use.
Tornillo chico-A tornillo chico is a glass in the same swirling style as a tornillo except it is smaller. These contained a ¼ liter of pulque.
Chivo-A chivo, billy goat in English, was a type of mug that was embellished with the head of a goat on one side. This variety typically held ⅓ liters of pulque and is largely out of use today.
Chivato-A chivato is a big billy goat. These were mugs with the same goat-faced decoration except larger, containing ⅘ liters of pulque.
Cacariza–A cacariza is a pitcher that is covered in small glass dots, giving it a bumpy texture. The rim of the pitcher has a small pouring lip for meting out the drink. These vessels typically contain 1 liter of pulque.
Cacaricita–a cacaricita is a bumpy pitcher, but only contains ½ liter of pulque.
Catrina–a catrina is the same as a 1 liter cacariza except without the embellishment of glass bumps. It is a simple glass pitcher.
Jarra–a jarra is a normal pitcher with a pouring lip on its rim. These are still in use today and can contain ¾ to 1 liter of pulque.
Torreón–a torreón is a tall pitcher that is used for serving multiple people. It is like the jarra, but may be skinnier and taller. It is still in use today.
Tripa–a tripa is a tall and skinny mug of ½ liters. It is out of use.
Reyna–a reyna, queen in English, is a more obscure pulque measure. It is a large pitcher of 1.5 liters with a pouring lip.
Maceta–a maceta, or pot, is the largest measure of pulque. These were unembellished pots for large quantities of pulque up to 2.5 liters. The same word is used for flower pots and the vessel could likely hold a plant.
The diversity of vessels used for this one beverage speak to the long and complicated history of pulque. From natural hydrator, to religious intoxicant, to commercial boon–pulque has gone through many cultural transformations. It makes sense that the people who drank it came up with new cups, pitchers, vases, and mugs over time. Some cups suit the occasion, others suit the style of the drinker. Many are lost to time entirely.
“Caxitl.” Caxitl. | Nahuatl Dictionary, nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/caxitl-0.
“De La Cacariza Al Tornillo: Los Utensilios Para Beber Pulque.” Infobae, 13 Dec. 2021, www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2021/12/13/de-la-cacariza-al-tornillo-los-utensilios-para-beber-pulque/.
De la Colonia a la actualidad: La Colonia: El siglo XIX; El Siglo XX. (2018). Arqueologia Mexicana. Edicion Especial., (78), 76-89.
Guide to wine bottle sizes. Michael’s Wine Cellar. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.michaelswinecellar.com/blog/guide-to-wine-bottle-sizes
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