El Pajarete a Traditional Mexican Morning Drink

El Pajarete is a party, in a barn early in the mornings when the cows are being milked. It is also the name of the drink that they make out of fresh cow’s milk, liquor, chocolate, sugar and instant coffee. My friend took me to one on a Sunday which is the biggest day for them although people drop in every morning at milking time.

Pajaro
Pajaro

Above is the cow fountain which is filling up the cup.  The drink is also sometimes called Pajaro (bird in Spanish) and even Pollo (which is chicken in Spanish). Why bird? Why chicken? The best explanation I heard was that Pajarete can mean early bird. So bird is the theme here.  There were chickens in the barn. But the milk came from the cows, not the chickens and there are no eggs in this drink either.

Milking the cow
Milking the cow

Notice that the cow’s back legs are tied so she can’t kick. There were lots of other animals in the barn too. A few of the cats are in the above photo, and a goat in the background. Lots of chickens were running around and of course dogs. Add cowboys and cowgirls to this mix and you have a party.

Shaving the chocolate
Shaving the chocolate

The woman shaving the chocolate is the wife of the owner and I am sorry to say that I did not get their names. I was  distracted by all the commotion going on and also the drink itself. It is very relaxing, 180 proof alcohol in it.

Adding the alcohol
Adding the alcohol

The alcohol is from sugar cane. It is sold in big containers for little money.  I read that these drinks are cures for hangovers. Maybe that is the reason for Sundays being the most popular days of the week. Saturday night over indulgence.

Adding sugar
Adding sugar

One farmer was sitting near me and telling me about the woes of the dairymen. These drinks are sold for about a dollar a glass. I don’t know how he makes money after buying the liquor, chocolate, sugar and instant coffee but he does. He makes more than when he sells his milk to the milk companies who sell retail. He only gets a few pesos per liter. That is not enough to keep his dairy running so many of the dairies are going out of business. He said that one reason milk is so cheap is because the United States is selling massive amounts of powdered milk to Mexico and the Mexicans buy that instead of fresh milk because it is cheaper. I buy a lot of fresh milk and I can say that it is cheap here, cheaper than same amount of soft drinks.  And it is very good. It is sad to hear about the dairyman’s plight.

Adding instant coffee
Adding instant coffee

The liquor kills off the germs in the fresh milk. I have been there twice and both times had two, okay I admit it, three glasses of the pajarete and I have never felt any bad after affects. What could taste better than fresh warm milk, coffee, chocolate, sugar and liquor?  The perfect comfort drink.

Milk is added last
Milk is added last

Here the man is adding the milk to the drink. Milk is always added last. One man went a step further and set his drink on fire before adding the milk. Pajarete Flambe.

Calf
Calf

This one day old calf was checking us out from behind a fence. We were drinking his mother’s milk and she wanted some. They never allow the calves to nurse directly from the mother because they sell the milk. So she got hers through a bottle.

Calf drinking milk
Calf drinking milk

The calf was finally happy. Nothing like her mother’s milk to sooth her hungry stomach. She looks awfully skinny but she has only been out in the world one day. She will fatten up. I hope.

Cowboy
Cowboy

The cowboy in the above photo is the owner of the farm. I didn’t get a front view or his name. Just too much happening at once. But I wanted to show his beautiful belt which my friend said was very valuable. It is made out of gold and silver.

Friends
Friends

This kitten was interested in the chicken but she was playing it cool. I asked about how they keep the cat population down.  I was told that the cows do a good job of that by stepping on one from time to time. Out of a batch of five kittens this was the only one left. Smart kitten to stay away from the cows. In this world you either learn fast or die young.

Cowboys
Cowboys

We arrived early when the cows were just starting to be milked but in an hour or so the place was packed with cowboys and a few cowgirls too. I pretended to be a cowgirl for the morning.

cats drinking milk
Cats drinking milk

The cats finally got their milk. Everyone gets milk, dogs, cats, people and even the chickens. Check out the kitten on top of one of the grown cats. That kitten really loves milk. The calico cat is patiently waiting for a free space. She must be an older cat and has learned that the milk never runs dry in the mornings.

People in the barn
People in the barn

People were all very patient and friendly. Whenever anyone came in, he or she walked around shaking hands with everyone there and did the same thing when leaving. There was a lot of talking and laughing.

People talking
People talking

Above is a group of the younger men enjoying their drinks. This isn’t the Ritz. I had to use the bathroom after my second glass and I was taken to another room behind this main room. It was filled with chicken droppings and hay. The man stood guard outside the open door so no one would come in while I squatted and did my business. But I wasn’t complaining. I was having too much fun for complaining.

People in the yard
People in the yard

Above is the beginning of the crowd that eventually filled up the outside area. Women, check out the handsome cowboy in a black  t-shirt and white cowboy hat in the far right of this photo. There were a lot of handsome cowboys wandering around. Finally a place where there were more men than women. In most social gatherings where I go the odds are about twenty women to one man. It was the opposite at the pajarete.

People talking
People talking

I loved watching the people laughing and talking. This woman’s name is Marie Fernandez Santana. She is a federal attorney. I didn’t get the man’s name. Next time. I hope there is a next time for me to go there.

Man with cows
Man with cows

I love the photo above. The man is catching the cow’s pee. He kept the barn area very clean. He is holding one cow’s back legs and catching pee from another. Busy man. Kittens, watch those cows feet.

Smiling Cowboys
Smiling Cowboys

All smiles as people were leaving. Time to get on with the day. I think these cowboys were on their way to a Rodeo.

Goodbye
Goodbye

This farmer has a fun ride. His name is George Gaudet. He owns a nearby farm. He sat by me for awhile and gave me lots of information about dairy farming. His wife sells things at the Monday market in Ajijic. They have been living here for many years. Transplanted Canadians.

Road out
Road out

If you look at the end of the road you will see a public bus that has stopped for some people. The farm was about a twenty minute drive by car outside of Ajijic but if you are adventurous you might be able to take a bus out that way. I am not that adventurous. These pajaretes go on all over Mexico in the early mornings. What a treat for me. I hope I will be invited back again. (I know, I said that once already but I mean it.) I also hope that the dairy farms can survive this price cut in the milk or there will be no more pajarete parties and no more fresh milk.  Boycott powdered milk.

Join The Discussion

8 thoughts on “El Pajarete a Traditional Mexican Morning Drink”

  • Louis-Marie Ste-Croix

    Muy interesting Sid !
    Nice photos, thank you for sharing

    Reply
  • Katherine

    Thank you! That was fun and very interesting! You always post good stuff!

    Reply
  • Mick West

    Is it possible to rent a home or apartment for a month during the winter?
    I need to know where to look for possible rental options.

    Mick West
    McAllen, TX

    Reply
  • Victoria

    Very enlightening thanks for sharing. And thumbs up for the pic of the cowboy in black shirt ?

    Reply
  • Abel

    Wow, how interesting! I had never heard of this before. How did you get invited to this place? Can anyone just show up?

    Reply
  • ann

    Lago de Chapala is one of my first choices if I decide to leave the US. This recipe looks delish. I’m in New Mexico and don’t have access to freshly milked cows or that sugar cane liquor. I make something similar with tequila, evaporated milk, sweetener, cocoa powder, nutmeg. Put it all in a shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake!!! Not quite the same but it’ll have to do! I bet Brazilian cachaca would work. Btw, love all those cats! Would you happen to know if there’s an issue with fleas there? Thanks!!!!

    Reply
    • ann

      @Evelyn I’m single and semi-retired. I was wondering what it’s like to move down there being a single person. Obviously it can be done.

      Reply
  • BridgetMcKenna

    I got to try Pajarete when I visited Ajijic recently. It was wonderful. I’ll be coming back for lots of reasons, but you can bet this will be one of them.

    Reply

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