For De Len and his team, the next step in studying mezcal will be to help fight for quality. Lalo, as he is known to his friends, believes the practice dates back a hundred years or more. Should the worm be denounced, embraced or just studied to better understand mezcals history? If theyre sealed, they should be fine, and theyll likely get better as they age. The practice of adding worms to mezcal was started by Andres Paniagua and Jacobo Lozano. Reasons Behind Adding Worms In Mezcal. But what exactly are terpenes? Oxidative stress has been linked to the aging process and a number of chronic diseases and conditions. 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. Mezcal and the agave plant it comes from are both high in fructans, a type of carbohydrate. This is why all tequila comes from Jalisco. 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. We sipped cocktails and thought about what it should be. Overall, the Vago Elote showed slight differences between the two aged mezcals, but we all agreed that we preferred the Excess-air mezcal. 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. You will never find a worm in a bottle of imported tequila. In 2014, a studyin the Journal of Medicinal Foodsuggested that agave fructans prevented bone loss and encouraged formation of new bone by raising calcium concentrations in both bone and circulating blood. Tyler and I both have dozens of unopened bottles in deep storage in the back of our closets, saving these special bottles for some unknown future event, probably several years from now. In the 1940s, a distiller named Jacobo Lozano Pez found that leaving the worms in his mezcal changed the flavor. A research team examined limonene's ability to destroy lung cancer cells and published the findings in 2018 in the journal OncoTargets and Therapy. Your email address will not be published. your aged in glass section above says this is a good thing but what about *hypothetically* many many years without opening a bottle? It's the caterpillar form of a species of moth that lives in agave plants. Smoke is not always the most pronounced element in mezcal, nor must it be viewed as the chief virtue. By Justin Kirkland Published: Jan 25, 2022 Max Barsness. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that all Mexican spirits distilled from agave, including mezcal, had high concentrations of oxalates. The heat inside the still cooks the chicken breast, eliminating any risk that the final product will contain harmful bacteria. These meaty mezcals are still relatively hard to find in the United States, but several brands, including Del Maguey, El Jolgorio, Wahaka, and Rey Campero, offer pechuga-style options. To be clear, thats speculative. Did the flavor change for the better? Overall, the Mezcalero No. Mezcal is a distilled liquor made from the agave plant. But why the gusano? I've learned that people who repeat these things are usually just trying to get someone to eat the worm, and they're lying. Oxalates are tiny molecules found in many nuts, seeds, and edible plants. But if this response keeps going long after the initial injury is gone, it can cause the immune system to get confused and start attacking healthy tissue. But if you dont want to go to the trouble of cooking the plant, you can just carve a huge hole into its center and harvest fresh, sweet sap. Hey guys, I just read this not sure if I saw it the first time! They're highly nutritious, easy and inexpensive to raise, and have much less of a negative environmental impact than other more familiar animal sources of protein, such as beef and pork. However, Oaxaca (a southern state of Mexico) is where most of . Mezcal must be produced under the country's Denomination of Origin (DO). How Tequila Differs From Mezcal Tequila and mezcal both originate from Mexico and are made from agave, a form of succulent that grows in the Mexican desert. Oaxaca, Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacn, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas are allowed by law. Would this impact be good or bad? Are you still interested in learning more? But theres also a rich history of mezcaleros adding stuff to their mezcal, both during and after distillation. But, Im convinced the more expensive bottles (like $150 and up) house mostly only the hearts (the less conengers laden part) for both distillations. Tequila to be Tequila must contain 51% Blue Agave. His answer was similar to Mezcal PhD in that he believed that mezcal improved after the bottle was opened. The gusano, or worm, at the bottom of a bottle of cheap mezcal is actually moth larva. Much softer and more delicate than the first. Jonny. Some stories claim theworm was added to some bottles of mezcal to demonstrate its purity. Because mezcal sounds like mescaline,. If you are the new mezcal drinker among the group person who finishes the bottle of mezcal has to eat the worm. The worm in the bottom of mezcal has a very special purpose and you'll never guess what it is. teriyaki chicken donburi wagamama . Some wild . Short finish. Tyler, Lavender flavors, a bit of alcohol present. The best one seemed to turn hot/alcoholic and the worst that started out this way seemed to open up more. A bit of nail polish on the palate as well. Jonny, Strong notes and aromas. This experiment was fun to read and be a part of; I greatly enjoyed it! Tequila Semantics: Does Tequila Have A Worm In It Is The Worm In Tequila Alive Mezcal with a jar of worms First of all, does tequila have a worm in it? According to the University of WisconsinMadison, approximately 13 percent of men and 7 percent of women will experience at least one kidney stone in their lives, and having one kidney stone makes you 80 percent more likely to have another within the next ten years. But eugenol, a terpene found in mezcal, could help combat the damage caused by free radicals. But if you're one of the many Americans abstaining from gluten, there's no need to give up mezcal. Which is how it ended up drowned in a bottle of mezcal. Checkout the mezcal worm's second cousin, the chapulin and see how this tasty toasted grasshopper has its place in the mezcal world. Many people believe it tastes like chicken, but we tried it and found it had a flavor similar to almonds. But its not hard to imagine that this was a longstanding policy of the Mexican government, especially following the Mexican Revolution, which returned farmland to Indigenous people. Mezcal Reviews on Facebook While worms do live in agave leaves, adding one to a bottle of mezcal is not standard practice, according to a 2015 article from Maxim. According to Anthony Dias Blue's Complete Book of Spirits, that "worm" is actually a larva from one of two types of moths, known as maguey worms, that live on the agave plant.Apr 20, 2021 What proof should mezcal be? Before sending the copies to our offices, add inside the container enough cotton or Kleenex paper to absorb the liquid. So we know that time can play an integral role in improving mezcal, but what about other elements, like the amount of air in the bottle and the oxygenation and/or evaporation process that occurs when theres very little mezcal left in the bottle? 1: Worms In Mezcal Add Flavor To The Drink. One day, no one will be able to con you into buying a bottle of bad tequila for three times what it's worth. Agave can yield both distilled and fermented drinks. 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. All mezcal comes from agave, but there are more than 30 different types of the spiky green plants growing throughout Mexico. They found that none of them had an ethyl carbamate concentration that exceeded the international safety guideline of less than 0.15 mg/L. Some releases will be aged in glass for upwards of two or three years before being bottled for sales and general consumption. Or sometimes two. According to a survey conducted in 2018 by the Mental Health Foundation, 74 percent of Americans felt so stressed they were "overwhelmed or unable to cope." Mezcal Reviews on Instagram, Copyright 2016-2023 Mezcalerbro LLC Privacy Statement Terms of Use, Hacienda de Bauelos and Derrumbes Zacatecas, Mezcalosfera Tobala/Verde/Madrecuixe/Cuixe/Espadin Felipe Corts, Mezcal left in a bottle that has been opened will stay the same or actually improve, Mezcal left in a bottle that has been opened will improve to a certain point, but then go bad if there is too little mezcal left in the bottle, Mezcal left in a bottle that has been opened will eventually go bad. This "worm" is actually the larva of a moth referred to as a gusano. The most common is espadin, which can be cultivated on farms. JANZEN, Emma (2017), Mezcal: The history, craft & cocktails of the worlds ultimate artisanal spirit, Quarto Publishing Group, Minneapolis, USA. Fortune magazine reported that sales of mezcal rose 25 percent between 2014 and 2019, according to data fromIWSR, which tracks alcohol sales around the world. Have you ever thought about keeping a bottle sealed/unopened until some special day way in the future? Unlike tequila, which can be made with 51 percent blue agave and 49 percent added sugar from other sources [that could contain gluten], mezcal is made from 100 percent agave.". That being said, too much of any alcohol can give you a hangover, so it's important to drink responsibly when enjoying mezcal. The older one said, you mean the liquor with a worm at the bottom? 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They are aged in oak barrels and the worm intensifies their aromatic profile. There is a law in Jalisco, Mexico - where ALL Tequilas originate and are controlled very carefully - which makes it illegal to put any insect or larvae into a bottle of Tequila. These larvae are called gusano and bottles of mezcal that contain the creepy critters are referred to as con gusano. As all 4 went down in volume over several months the pecking order changed, so the favorite from the beginning fell away to the lesser favorite coming out over time. Thanks for the insight. Of the four mezcals included in this tasting, we preferred the Excess-air mezcal for three of them. This translates roughly to "oven-cooked agave" and refers to the production process of mezcal. These atoms are very chemically unstable and will essentially steal electrons from cells in the body. Yes, when it comes to Mezcal, the worm at the bottom of the bottle has grown beyond a cultural phenomenon and into a world-renowned icon of sorts. Or more specifically, does mezcal in an opened bottle eventually go bad? Usually, Meocuilines are cooked in exotic dishes and Chinicuiles are added to Mezcal or mixed with salt (called Sal de Gusano). So 7 months was as long as we could resist temptation. In short, the worm that you see in a bottle of mezcal was a marketing gimmick. According to the Mayo Clinic, congeners are compounds that increase the likelihood and severity of a hangover. Although their experiment was performed on mice, it's possible that agave fructans could have the same impact on humans. And some agavero kept putting off sending in his gusano sampleand then finally drank it? Very little difference between the two. Tyler, Similar notes on the nose but more like cornmeal than pancakes. I believe you would have found this if you had let your experiment run for 2 yrs or so, maybe less, but 7 months seems too short. You guys write about this in your review for the bottle. By letting fresh air in every year or so, you are re-energizing the process.. As I drink down more of my open bottles, I am discovering this. Get InsideHook in your inbox. It may also have been made before that, but it became far more generalized after the revolution. I have 250s, 750s and 1L bottles. We also asked co-founder of Mezcal Vago, Judah Kuper, the same question last year. These little mezcal fun facts are explained in detail. Aging in glass, however, imparts no new flavors. The best place to find and buy worm salt online is here . It didn't start appearing in commercialbottles until the 1940s or 50s, right around the time American tourists started to get hooked on the stuff. I find that its very similar to tequila. Now you know the real story of the red maguey worm and mezcal. First things first: The "worm" at the bottom of some bottles of mezcal isn't actually a worm, as noted by Vice . Mezcal means "oven-cooked agave", which is how the pina are cooked to extract the sugars that will be fermented and then distilled. For those unfamiliar with the Aged-in-Glass or Madurado style, this refers to the aging of mezcal in glass after it is distilled. The fact that mezcal is a clear spirit also plays a role. The worm in mezcal is considered by most experts to be a gimmick intended to grab the attention of tourists. She points out the Mezcal brand Gusano Rojo (Red worm) who initiated the adding of worms to Mezcal, when in 1950 a employee got the idea to drop a worm into each bottle as a distinctive touch. People love to eat the worm live or roasted. Mezcal is any ol' type of agave liquor. However, under Mexican law the only distilled liquor of the agave plant that can be called tequila is the liquor distilled from the blue agave plant. Like so much of the beautiful cultural heritage of rural Mexico, theres little to no documentation to support any of the theories. Have you noticed differences in bottles that have been open for extended periods of time? Required fields are marked *, Copyright 2017. The younger one looked at his drink and said, you know what we should do? Once tequila was granted protected status in 1977 (on October 13, if you'd care to celebrate), the worm system was rendered unnecessary. Its never been opened. Mezcaleroes are loosing me as a customer Im headed back over to the sweet cooked agave (additive free) Tequila camp. It feeds on the maguey . Spirits like mezcal and tequila are made by fermenting the cooked hearts of the agave. 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: There are always exceptions to the rule and few brands produce with quality, add worms with the singular reason of enhancing their Mezcales with an earthy and fungal vibe. Worm salt is a mix of sea salt, ground agave larvae, and chile spices. According to Town & Country,mezcal can be made from any type of agave, while tequila must be made from blue agave. 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. Any alcoholic beverage after a long, hard day can help you unwind and lift your spirits, but mezcal contains a terpene called geraniol that may have additional benefits for your mental health. That sap will ferment into delicious pulque. Aging in wooden barrels, which is done widely for whiskey and tequila, is less common in Mezcal. In parts of Guerrero, they'll occasionally throw one into a mezcal . First, you have to harvest a mature agave plant. What I seek is the heart of the distillation, and less blended heads and tails to achieve the same alcohol content, given no dilution. The former Breaking Bad co-leads are now liquor brand co-founders, bringing a little bit of Oaxaca to your bar cart with Dos Hombres mezcal. For the aejo variety, a second fermentation can raise the alcohol percentage up to about 55 percent. It's also commonly used in Mexican cuisine, served fried in tacos or sometimes raw. Very sweet. Before the mezcal boom of the 1990's most bottles of commercially produced mezcal that was available in the United States had a worm in the bottle. It has a little bag of salt sealed with it on the top. Short finish. Fattened on sweet agave nectar, they might be sauted and folded into warm tortillas or toasted and ground up with rock salt and . But they were a tasty snack around Mexico. The answer to that question is a matter of quality, not safety, assuming proper storage conditions - when properly stored, a bottle of mezcal has an indefinite shelf life, even after it has been opened. "That's a crock. 3: Grow Together, Harvested Together. The worm, however, isn't actually a worm, but the larva of one of two different types of moths that live on the agave plant. They found that limonene did possess anti-tumor effects, but this experiment was limited to cells grown in a laboratory. In this post, we will try to unearth some more interesting facts behind the best mezcal with worms. A inicios de 2015, co-fund Agavache para promover los destilados mexicanos de Agave desde una perspectiva de identidad cultural y responsabilidad social. The worm is the peanut butter to the Mezcal's jelly. Traditionally the word "mezcal" has been used generally in Mexico for all agave spirits and it continues to be used for many . Cynics may chalk it up to marketing. Unfortunately, they didnt taste very good, but maybe they werent really all that enjoyable to begin with? When everyone who has a barn is firing up their still and making mezcal or tequila, how do you get people to buy yours? What perfect timing for this blog. His theory is based on what he's seen in his native Guerrero with another pest: the xumilin, or chumilin, a sort of south-of-the-border stinkbug. The younger one looked at his drink and said, you know what we should do? I did not realize this when I revised my book in 2018, but now I think that if there is just a little bit left in the bottle (less than 25% is a decent marker but it may need to be even lower), it will worsen over time. Mezcal left in a bottle that has been opened will eventually go bad Our friend Mezcal PhD tells us that mezcal will likely improve over time. If you're a fan of this smoky Mexican spirit, you probably think of mezcal as tequila's more sophisticated and complex older brother. Mezcalero No. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, one percent of Americans have celiac disease and 0.4 percent have a diagnosed wheat allergy. Was it too hot initially, and mellowed over time? Learnwhat happens to your body when you have a hangover. Barrel aging typically removes the more vegetal notes of the agave and replaces them with notes of the wood, like caramel, brown sugar, or vanilla. He sparked the worlds interest in the breadth and depth of traditional mezcal. For me, the search continues. While questions about the aging of mezcal in opened bottles is an active debate, the community seems decided on the aging of mezcal in closed (never-opened) bottles and/or in larger glass demijans. Appreciate the update PhD! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); With a database of over 1,500 bottles, Mezcal Reviews is the best place to find and review mezcal, destilados, sotol, raicilla, and more. Mezcal is a type of Mexican liquor that is made from the agave plant. Much softer and bit lighter on the palate. Greg is a lover of agave spirits, handicrafts, and barware. I can attest to that, too. Maestro mezcalero Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura has a different view. Eating the worm has neither hallucinogenic nor aphrodisiac effects: but, if you have finished the entire Mezcal bottle to get the worm out and eat it, you are most likely unable to behave appropriately by this point. Your shot amigo. September 24, 2020 2:06 pm ET. The older one said, you mean the liquor with a worm at the bottom? Bottom line. How would drinking mezcal every night affect your body and mind? According to WebMD, limonene is also used in alternative medicine to treat obesity and bronchitis, but its effectiveness in treating these conditions has not been scientifically proven. We pulled a few lower ABV mezcals off the shelf earlier this year. When You Drink Mezcal Every Night, This Is What Happens To Your Body, it doesn't have any hallucinogenic properties, mezcal contains a terpene called geraniol, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), what happens to your body when you have a hangover. Most are produced from the espadn variety of agave and are 'joven mezcals' (young/unaged); unlike with tequila, joven mezcal is ready to be sipped. The company Nacional Vinicola, now known as Gusano Rojo ("red worm") wasone of the first to include the worm in its mezcal. Sour on the back end. was the brains behind the mezcal worm marketing ploy. Another mention about the worm is in Sara Bowens research Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production. Great little experiment that you guys did,, and the results are very encouraging to those like myself who have amassed a nice little collection of bottles, but just dabble in them over the course of time.