If you're expecting a constant flow of margaritas in Mexico, you'd best stick to establishments geared towards tourists. Confused? Well, it turns out that margaritas are actually a largely American invention!
Many of Mexico's drinks - both non-alcoholic and alcoholic - date back or have ties to Mexico's pre-columbian years and have something in common: the agave plant. "Aguamiel," for example, is a sweet juice derived straight from the plant. For the alcoholic version, aguamiel is fermented and becomes "pulque." With approximately the alcoholic content of beer, pulque has been a fixture in Mexican cuisine for well over 500 years! Nowadays it is flavored with coconut or other fruits; you can try them out in special bars known as "pulquerías."
Then, of course, there's the ever-famous tequila. Like aguamiel and pulque, Tequila is also derived from the agave plant, this time by roasting the hearts of the plants and then extracting, fermenting and distilling the liquid. If you want to step it up a notch, try out the "mezcal," like tequila but with an added fiery kick. Both tequila and mezcal are typically taken straight. After throwing back your shot of tequila, be sure to chase it either with the typical lime and salt, or with "sangrita"- a mix of orange juice, grenadine, chili and sometimes a splash of tomato juice.
Bottoms up!
