The fact that mezcal is a clear spirit also plays a role. Yep, add a tasty, wiggly snack the Red Maguey Worm. Tequila to be Tequila must contain 51% Blue Agave. Or sometimes two. While they're found in all alcoholic beverages, dark liquors have higher concentrations of congeners than clear spirits. Mezcal and tequila will stay deliciously enjoyable for years to come . 1. This belief seems to be held by many in the industry, and weve spoken to several users of this website who prefer to re-bottle their mezcal to a smaller glass bottle (like a dram or something similar) once the original bottle gets below that 25% threshold. If you're struggling with hypertension, choosing to drink mezcal every night may help keep your blood pressure in check. Seriously. Short finish. Tyler, Lavender flavors, a bit of alcohol present. Citronellol is a terpene found in agave, as well as many other plants. Mezcal must be produced under the country's Denomination of Origin (DO). In a study published in Physiology & Behavior in 2015, a team of researchers led by Dr. Xue-Yang Deng examined the effect geraniol had when administered to mice who were experiencing "chronic" and "unpredictable" stress, though "mild." Slightly muted flavor notes but mostly the same. Chris, Muted aromas. It is not even legal to put a worm in tequila. Some releases will be aged in glass for upwards of two or three years before being bottled for sales and general consumption. Like so much of the beautiful cultural heritage of rural Mexico, theres little to no documentation to support any of the theories. Contrary to popular belief, the worm in mezcal isn't a worm at all, it's actually a larva. Even today, the marketing gimmick still helps separate themselves from the other producers. It has a little bag of salt sealed with it on the top. In the same way, Tom Bullok explains in his book The Mezcal experience that Monte Alban Mezcal followedGusano Rojo with its worm practice and maintained a prolonged advertising campaign in Playboy issues during the 1970s. No, it doesnt prove your machismo or machisma, depending on who you are hanging out with. Would this impact be good or bad? They had all been open for a little over a year and all the bottles had just over 25% left. Oaxaca, Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacn, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas are allowed by law. (Technically, this makes tequila a type of mezcal.) When exposed to air, this oxidizes to acetic acid, which is ester. But theres also a rich history of mezcaleros adding stuff to their mezcal, both during and after distillation. Generally speaking, the Excess-air mezcals were all much more mellow and balanced than those that had been resting in a bottle with little/no air. If you're following a plant-based diet and want to try one of these brands, be sure to check the label carefully to make sure no meat was used in the distillation process. The term "free radicals" gets thrown around a lot these days, but what exactly are they, why are they bad, and how could your choice to drink mezcal every night protect you from them? Mezcal Pairings That Aren't Lime and Worm Salt - Esquire They can lead to kidney stones, which can be extremely painful and may require medical intervention to remove. My theory is that the mezcal with gusano has its origin shortly after the Mexican Revolution, he says. He had it on his bar forever. "That's a crock. I just hope we dont come to learn one day that most of our beloved Mezcals had some slight additives injected to help make them: dare I say, smoother? I mean, the proof is in the pudding/nosing and then tasting ? But the worm doesn't just affect the marketing;it actuallychanges the drink's chemistry, De Len said. The acute inflammation that immediately follows an injury and results in redness, swelling, and pain is beneficial it's how your body protects the affected area and begins the healing process. It's mezcal's purity that has earned it a reputation as a "healthy" alcohol. The growing popularity of mezcal that is aged-in-glass clearly emphasizes the importance of time on how distilled agave can settle and build structure long after it has left the still. Mezcal is a vast category of spirits . Appreciate the update PhD! However there are certain examples of high quality brands using the mezcal worm as a way to pay homage to the tradition. A Guide to Mezcal: How It's Made and Which Bottles to Try - Serious Eats More balanced and mellow. Jonny. Very similar, but more mellow and balanced. Jonny. (I havent, anyway.) Camille Austin, the global portfolio ambassador for Casa Lumbre Spirits, sang the praises of the agave plant in a 2019 interview with Maxim: "It is a plant that is made up of many organic compounds, or terpenes, commonly known as essential oils, that lend to the herbal, citrus and fruity flavors, as well as the 'magical' feeling we get when we drink mezcal. There's often confusion about the difference between mezcal and tequila. As long as nothing was able to enter the bottle, it should be ok. Mongo only pawn in game of life, but this is a great topic. In a 2006 paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Dr. Antonio De Len-Rodrguez and colleagues took a close look at the chemical makeup of mezcal. If the specimens have a soft body (such as worms), they wrote in Agricultura Tcnica en Mexico, Volume 1, they should be placed in a bottle with alcohol, tequila, mezcal, or 10% formalin. But the brilliant marketer who spread the word that mezcal with the worm is different was actually telling a shred of truth, according to science. What I am learning is that it has a lot to do with heads-hearts-tails. Usually, Meocuilines are cooked in exotic dishes and Chinicuiles are added to Mezcal or mixed with salt (called Sal de Gusano). They create crystals by binding calcium and other minerals together. While it's true that both liquors are made from agave, there are a few key differences that set mezcal apart. Yes, some bottles of mezcal include a creepy crawly surprise at the bottom, but no, it won't make you hallucinate if you drink mezcal and eat it. More mellow but less exciting. Jonny. The worm is actually a larva that lives on the agave plant. Please note, comments must be approved before they are published, Liquid error (sections/article-related-products line 1): Could not find asset snippets/spurit_po2_section_snippet.liquid It's easy to see why it was an apt gimmick for touristsit appears both exotic and traditional, and givesdudes a testing ground for their masculinity. First things first: The "worm" at the bottom of some bottles of mezcal isn't actually a worm, as noted by Vice . And then theres xumilin. The palate is like a basket full of fresh peppers. I really appreciate how a good bottle will hide the high alcohol content. Remember that it is not the authentic Mezcal: the worm adds flavor and usually it masks lousy flavors. So, if you have already bought a bottle of Mezcal with a worm or you are in a party and someone insists you drink it, you may consider these 3 tips: Drink with caution: it is not dangerous, but it is a common practice to attract the attention of tourists and chances are the Mezcal itself is of poor quality. Don't worry, though; we're talking Mezcal, not math. It was much more mellow and all of the nail polish/alcohol notes had vanished over time, making this an incredibly rounded and balanced Elote. 14 (notice levels in each bottle), Soft sweet clay. Is it safe to drink? QuiQuiRiQui Matatlan Mezcal. The spirits are distilled differently and produced in different regions of Mexico. And there are lots of spirits that are made from agave in a nearly identical manner to mezcal, but for various reasons don't meet the government classifications, such as raicilla, sotol, and . That sounds like an awesome experiment, very similar to ours. Like the Vago Elote and the Rey Campero Tepextate, we all found that the Excess-air was our preferred option among the two. Limonene, one of the terpenes found in mezcal, could have cancer-fighting properties. Im curious if you recall specific characteristics about your least favorite that changed/improved over time. Checkout the mezcal worm's second cousin, the chapulin and see how this tasty toasted grasshopper has its place in the mezcal world. In this post, we will try to unearth some more interesting facts behind the best mezcal with worms. Theyd each been open for over a year with about 25% of the bottle left. Our personal recommendations are El Cortijo reposado con gusano and Wahaka reposado con gusano. In parts of Guerrero, theyll occasionally throw one into a mezcal bottle in the same way the Oaxacans throw in the gusano. A mezcal worm is an insect larva found in some types of mezcal produced in Oaxaca, Mexico. Whiskey connoisseur? It surely has something to do with the $$$ part! All the . While the first 2 or 3 glasses taste bad, once you reach 4 and upwards you kind of get used to itprobably is that being tipsy helps. Smoke is not always the most pronounced element in mezcal, nor must it be viewed as the chief virtue. The younger one looked at his drink and said, you know what we should do? "Tequila and mezcals have most of the same components, like ethanol, ethyl acetate, heavy alcohols, etc., but they can have variations in how much they contain," he said. Simply by using that phrase, though traditional mezcal suggests, in that context, that mezcal con gusano isnt traditional. But why the gusano? Are you still interested in learning more? So sometimes the workers will drop a xumilin in the mezcal. So maybe its kind of like ad hoc spice done on the fly (pun intended) for your mezcal? All mezcal comes from agave, but there are more than 30 different types of the spiky green plants growing throughout Mexico. After comparing mezcal and tequilain one studyand determining the best temperature for mezcal's fermentationin another, he and his colleagues turned to the worm, the gusano. El Recuerdo Abocado Con Gusano Mezcal | Travel Distilled You should definitely give them an opportunity and if you have tasted other really good Mezcales with worms, let us know. Mezcal can be made from over 25 types of agave . Stop. Could one of these factors have made the difference? Mezcal contains 100% agave, while tequila must contain at least 49%. What to pair with mezcal - Mezcalistas 2: It Gives The Power To The Drinker. The worm at the bottom of the bottle, which in popular culture is associated with tequila, is actually a mezcal tradition. Lou Bank is the founder of SACRED, a not-for-profit corporation that helps improve the quality of life in the rural Mexican communities where heritage agave spirits are made. Another mention about the worm is in Sara Bowens research Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production. The Real Reason Some Mezcal Bottles Have Worms In Them In this way the insects will be kept moist and in case the bottle breaks in the mail, there is no danger of the liquid spilling out.. This is the larva of the moth that lives in the heart of the agave plant. We noticed this more on the nose than on the palate, with more of the aromas in the No-air mezcal being more pronounced and bold.