"Mezcals with the worm have a greater amount of unsaturated compounds and unsaturated alcohols such as cis-3-Hexen-1-ol.". When You Drink Mezcal Every Night, This Is What Happens To - TheList Its free. 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. Regardless of the vapors, Id think that tipping the bottles on their side once or twice a year should be enough to keep the cork moist enough to keep a good seal. 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. That might make them more palatable for some drinkers but serious mezcal lovers tend to go for 45 proof and up. Id agreed that a 2yr experiment like this would probably provide more noticeable differences. Chronic inflammation has been implicated in a number of conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. For me, the search continues. Older commercialized mezcal brands have not deviated from the pack of new generation mezcal producers. 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. Weve seen several threads on Facebook, Reddit, and elsewhere over the years that have asked this question. Mezcal 101: Everything You Need to Know - Thrillist On the other hand, a 2010 study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology found that heavy consumption of alcohol in general has a pro-inflammatory effect throughout the body. 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. What I seek is the heart of the distillation, and less blended heads and tails to achieve the same alcohol content, given no dilution. On March 19, 2019 we selected four of our favorite bottles. He says; "If you open your bottles once a year or so and let new air in (assuming you did not drink it all), the mezcal will improve over time. Is The Tequila Worm Just A Myth? | Greengos Cantina Worm salt is a mix of sea salt, ground agave larvae, and chile spices. Mezcal (or mescal) is the same as thing as tequila, but it is not tequila at all. Notes of white pepper, salt, corn nuts. While people who drink mezcal every night may like to highlight the spirit's purity, mezcal, like all alcoholic beverages, contains the chemical ethyl carbamate, which has been linked to various types of lung, liver, and blood cancer. At best, you may get a little more of a buzz because the mezcal has been absorbed into the worm. If you're a fan of this smoky Mexican spirit, you probably think of mezcal as tequila's more sophisticated and complex older brother. What perfect timing for this blog. 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. Theories abound. Worm salt is most commonly used during mezcal tastings but it can also be used for rimming mezcal cocktails and Mexican cooking as well. Still, for this reason, choosing to drink mezcal every night in moderation, of course doesn't sound so bad. The Ultimate Mezcal Guide: Everything You Need to Know! Follow @mezcalreviews All rights reserved. Thanks for the insight. Parents have this bottle of mezcal that's about 30 years old - reddit Unraveling mezcal's mysteries with chemistry is all well and good, but for De Len, there are some pleasures that just can't be explained. The legend of the worm is still debated. I mean, the proof is in the pudding/nosing and then tasting ? Your shot amigo. It may also have been made before that, but it became far more generalized after the revolution. Ive heard that the alcohol vapors in liquor prevent the cork from drying more than wine corks, but Im not sure if this is confirmed. But if you're one of the many Americans abstaining from gluten, there's no need to give up mezcal. These larvae are called gusano and bottles of mezcal that contain the creepy critters are referred to as con gusano. Short finish. Tyler, Lavender flavors, a bit of alcohol present. In an interview with the Associated Press, Jose Lopez, a mezcal distiller in Oaxaca, Mexico, explained that the gusano de maguey (agave worm) is there simply to add a special something to the mezcal. It's called a maguey worm, but it's actually a caterpillar, with red and (less desirable) white varieties added to mezcal. Curious about why you sometimes feel awful the morning after drinking? Whiskey connoisseur? Very sweet. There are plenty of myths and local legends about the effects that the mezcal worm may have, but they are simply not true. Like the Elote, the Excess-air mezcal was our favorite for the Rey Campero Tepextate. That sounds like an awesome experiment, very similar to ours. The world of agave spirits is so vast, it doesn't have a name. As well, the competing brand Legitimo Mezcal de Oaxaca con su Propio Gusano (yeah, thats a mouthful) was trademarked in 1944. Did the flavor change for the better? The Real Reason Some Mezcal Bottles Have Worms In Them Mezcal bottles with tequila worms are not uncommon. "We're working on a few new studies to guarantee that these Mexican alcoholic beverages are of high quality the way others have done for beverages like vodka and whisky," he said. Hints of white grape juice. Tyler, Aromas of peanut butter cups, woody, leather. Chris, Aromas of cinnamon, all spice, sandalwood, and vanilla. Mezcal Reviews on Twitter Lisa Richards, a nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, explained that mezcal's purity is what makes it safe for those who can't have gluten. Despite its reputation, it doesn't have any hallucinogenic properties. Despite the ick factor, the gusano de maguey at the bottom of a bottle of mezcal what we know as the worm is actually a very healthy snack. 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? However, Oaxaca (a southern state of Mexico) is where most of . Overall, the El Jolgorio Barril showed slight differences between the two different aged mezcals. Instead of pairing mezcal with the . Very similar, but more mellow and balanced. Jonny. Mezcal is a distilled liquor made from the agave plant. They create crystals by binding calcium and other minerals together. ; THE WORM DOESN'T JUST AFFECT THE MARKETING; IT ACTUALLY CHANGES THE DRINK'S CHEMISTRY. Its common to mix pulque with fruits to make what they call curados, a beverage that would dethrone smoothies as the fitness drink of choice if it werent so volatile. 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. The larva is usually either a gusano rojo ("red worm") or a chinicuil ("maguey worm"), the caterpillar of the Comadia redtenbacheri moth. (I havent, anyway.) More mellow. Chris, Still strong aromas. I have 250s, 750s and 1L bottles. But until Mariano Azuelas 1949 novel Sendas Perdidas, all published references I could find that include both mezcal and gusano are separate and culinary in nature; basically, somebody went to Mexico, drank some mezcal and ate some gusanos. Why is this a false narrative? The shelf life of mezcal is indefinite, but if mezcal develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded for quality purposes. Or more specifically, does mezcal in an opened bottle eventually go bad? How would drinking mezcal every night affect your body and mind? Worm Salt Is a Thing and Is So Much Tastier Than it Sounds - Wide Open Eats Dos Hombres on Instagram: "Three years ago we sat in a sushi bar in New Learnwhat happens to your body when you have a hangover. I find that its very similar to tequila. Strong finish. Tyler, Nose has notes of maple syrup and pancakes. 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. Damian Meneses of El Tigre speculates that the gusano was probably dropped into mezcal bottles long before it was commercialized. The older one said, you mean the liquor with a worm at the bottom? However there are certain examples of high quality brands using the mezcal worm as a way to pay homage to the tradition. While dispelling myths, this is not a hallucinogenic spirit. 14 had slight differences from the different aging. Nah, that was just some bullshit gimmick, I mean real, artesanal Mezcal made by hand in Mexico. And now, here are five mezcal con gusanos I recommend: For more tips and tricks from the worlds best bartenders, sign up for The Spill, a weekly guide to imbibing all good spirits. 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. In the article, Fausto Zapata, a co-founder of El Silencio mezcal, explains that adding a worm was just a marketing tactic to get more people to try, or be dared to try, mezcal. Mezcal (or mescal) is the same as thing as tequila, but it is not tequila at all. I had a plate of pan-fried and seasoned gusanos at the four-star Casareyna in Puebla Centro years ago and that dish brings me back there every trip. In parts of Guerrero, they'll occasionally throw one into a mezcal . What you drank was most likely Mezcal with doubtful quality and it affects the reputation of authentic mezcal. "But one story is that if the worm remains intact in the bottle, the percentage of alcohol in the spirit is high enough to preserve the pickled worm," according to theBeverage Testing Institute. Learn all about the latest and greatest spirits. Mezcal is one class of those spirits. Should the worm be denounced, embraced or just studied to better understand mezcals history? Learn more. We @Agavache have a commitment to educate about the sensorial qualities of mezcal and the history and traditions around it. Its a good selling point that it doesnt turn bad like wine. 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 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. Notes of chocolate, rose pedals. And although mezcal con gusano is less than 8% of whats on the market today, its still fairly common for people to think of mezcal as that stuff with the worm. Which begs the question. So on October 18, 2019 (seven months later), we performed a blind tasting, where we compared the original bottle with excess-air with the no-air re-bottled mezcal. Im curious if you recall specific characteristics about your least favorite that changed/improved over time. 14 (notice levels in each bottle), Soft sweet clay. Get InsideHook in your inbox. The worm is added at the end of the production process, when the liquor is bottled. Why Is There A Worm In Tequila - Mezcal and Tequila Worm Effects It also had marginally lower ABV than the others. No one wants to wake up feeling awful after a fun night out, and mezcal may be less likely than other spirits to produce a hangover. I've never heard of a worm adding anything to a mezcal, neither texture nor taste, but presumably the implication is that the colour comes from the . That being said, too much of any alcohol can give you a hangover, so it's important to drink responsibly when enjoying mezcal. "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. Tastes of grilled elote. The best place to find and buy worm salt online is here . Which is how it ended up drowned in a bottle of mezcal. This translates roughly to "oven-cooked agave" and refers to the production process of mezcal. In fact, inflammation can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on how long it lasts, as noted by Harvard Medical School. They found that limonene did possess anti-tumor effects, but this experiment was limited to cells grown in a laboratory. "Mezcal just makes you happy," he said. Brands of Tequila With Worm - The History and Why It's There How Long Does Mezcal Last, Opened And Unopened? - StillTasty Mezcal is any ol' type of agave liquor. Created by workers? I was just asking somebody about this two days ago. 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. Mezcal Con Gusano - Mezcal Brands With The Worm