Why there was a cow on Platte Street Sunday

If you saw someone squirting milk directly from a cow’s udder into another person’s coffee, you might think, ‘What in the RFK Jr. is going on here?’ But at Malinche Audiobar, chef Jose Avila’s “Nikkei-Mexa” listening bar at 1541 Platte St., it’s part of the eatery’s pop-up Pajarete sessions. 

“Pajarete is a traditional drink from some places in Mexico, like Jalisco, Zacatecas, Michoacán,” Avila explains. “It’s fresh, warm cow’s milk out of the cow.”

The drink is made with a mixture of powdered chocolate, sugar and coffee, plus alcohol like mezcal, tequila or sotol, and, of course, fresh cow’s milk straight from the teat. The end product is a rich, creamy, frothy beverage that’s a slightly sweet and a bit salty. Customers can purchase the Pajarete drink, minus the milk, inside for $13, then head outside to top it off with fresh cow milk free of charge. 

“Most traditionally, people use tequila. They light it on fire so the alcohol evaporates, and then you drink it,” Avila says.

Malinche’s first Pajarete session took place on Sunday, March 29. Simply advertised on the restaurant’s Instagram as “a coffee party like no other,” the posts made no mention of a live cow or raw milk. However, word quickly spread down the corridor, and the event attracted a crowd of over 100 people.

Around 80 guests showed up to the second edition that took place on Sunday, May 24. Again, it was announced on the eatery’s Instagram a week-and-a-half out from the event, though some promotional posts did include udders to hint at the main attraction.

The cow, named Lola, was only on site for a little under an hour before heading back home to her ranch in Wellington. During that time, eager attendees lined up for a taste, while others stood by in awe of the spectacle. Since the milk was raw, people drank it at their own discretion; most of those we spoke to seemed to enjoy it. 

“The milk tastes really fresh, it’s fantastic,” said one attendee who opted to drink the milk straight, without any coffee.

“I’ve had it once down in Mexico when I was really young,” recalled another, who went for the Pajarete special with tequila. “Honestly, it was really good.”

There’s plenty of controversy surrounding raw milk, fueled in part by figures like U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted it despite warnings from public health agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But Avila has long been known for his boundary-pushing, tradition-rooted Mexican concepts, like his weekend-only whole animal barbacoa, El Borregro Negro, where he cooks meats in an underground pit in the courtyard behind La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal.

When talking about the Pajarete event, Avila doesn’t discuss the regulations surrounding the raw milk component, and instead emphasizes that his goal is to educate Denver residents about the rural Mexican tradition.

“This is cultural,” Avila says. “It’s not something we’re used to seeing here … It’s a ranch breakfast type of drink. They’re out at 3 or 4 a.m. and drink it before a very hard day’s work ahead of them.”

In line with the listening bar, the event also included a vinyl set by DJ Shannon Von Kelly, plus other drinks like Cafe de Olla, Agua Fresca, Karajillo (with Cafe de Olla, mezcal, and Umeshu), and the Nikkei Highball (with tequila, melon, yuzu, and mineral water). Customers could also snack on items from the Tacos Los Primos food stand out front.

Outside of its Pajarete sessions, Malinche is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant serves lunch from open until 3 p.m., with items like “Chilaquiles in a Box” ($15) and tacos starting at $3, plus a happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. featuring bites like barbacoa dumplings and smoked oysters for $7, alongside cocktails like the Yuzu Collins and Karajillo, also priced at $7.

If you’re hoping to catch one of the Pajarete sessions, you’ll have to follow Malinche’s Instagram @malincheaudiobar. According to Avila, they’ll be sporadic to keep the neighborhood on its toes. 

“The next one might be in four months, it might be in six months,” he continues. “I just wake up one day and think, in a few days I’m going to do this Pajarete thing.”

Malinche Audiobar is located at 1541 Platte St., and open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.