BOWEN, Sarah (2015), Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production, University of California Press, California, USA. Remember that it is not the authentic Mezcal: the worm adds flavor and usually it masks lousy flavors. I like to think of myself as the unpaid and unofficial global ambassador for all things tequila and agave even though I’m British through and through.

In the same way, Tom Bullok explains in his book “The Mezcal experience” that Monte Alban Mezcal followed Gusano Rojo with its worm practice and maintained a prolonged advertising campaign in Playboy issues during the 1970s. It cemented the idea in the male western mind that Mezcal with a worm was in fact, the real Mezcal. Aged one to three years, añejos are smooth and rich, with more flavour contributions from the barrel. Basically if you only have enough agave to create 100 bottles of tequila, why not half that and top it up with cheap sugar to double your yield. REAL AGAVE TEQUILA - Originating from the protected tequila-producing region in Mexico, Rooster Rojo Tequila is crafted from 100% Blue Weber agave sourced from local farmers of Jalisco Los Altos region and cooked for 10 hours, making it authentic and delicious Contrary to popular belief, seeking out brands of tequila with a worm in the bottle isn’t going to help you find a more flavorful drink. The worm doesn’t add anything to the alcohol.Tequila and mezcal both originate from Mexico and are made from agave, a form of succulent that grows in the Mexican desert. Both are widely popular throughout the world, but they aren’t the same thing. Taste wise it’s got all the smoke you want from Mezcal with added grassy notes thanks to the espadin agave. Well today we’re going to put an end to that with this complete guide on everything you need to know about Mezcal. From what it is to how it’s made and all the resources you could ever imagine to explore this wonderful and somewhat mysterious Mexican spirit. What is Mezcal

Tequila is made with rigid standards. For starters, tequila can only be produced from blue agave, while mezcal can be made from 28 varieties of agave. You may be surprised to realise that some beers, wine and ciders include animal products. That’s because many ingredients are hidden, such as isinglass which is used in the filtration process. Producers are under no obligation to list the animal products used in the production process, and so you often can’t identify vegan drinks by their label. Also referred to as rested, reposado Tequila is aged from two months to just shy of a year. Which imparts a slight colour and softens the harshness of the tequila.

Answers as to why the worm is in the bottle in the first place is actually unknown, but there are stories. Some will say that the worm in the mezcal bottle is a marketing ploy. After all, think of all those myths we just had to bust to get to this point. Hallucinogen, flavor enhancer, boozy addition…the worm is none of that. But when the worm is in the bottle on a shelf, it somehow convinces people to buy that brand. To begin with, the Mezcal worms are caterpillars and they are a plague of the agave. They may be white ( Meocuilines) or red ( Chinicuilies), and both are an ancient food and taste good. Usually, Meocuilines are cooked in exotic dishes and Chinicuiles are added to Mezcal or mixed with salt (called Sal de Gusano). Origin of Mezcal with worm. You may be more familiar with its counterpart Tequila. Which is where the confusion usually comes in around the subject. Is Mezcal and Tequila the same thing? No, no its not. Tequila can either be made in small batches or mass-produced, whereas mezcal is made on a much smaller scale with a traditional process. 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. Our personal recommendations are El Cortijo reposado con gusano and Wahaka reposado con gusano. They are aged in oak barrels and the worm intensifies their aromatic profile. That oak profile makes those Mezcales specifically suited for the worm. You should definitely give them an opportunity and if you have tasted other really good Mezcales with worms, let us know.

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. DOUBLE-DISTILLED, SILVER FILTERED, & EXTRA SMOOTH - Agave juices are double-distilled in stainless steel with pure local water that's been filtered through real Mexican silver for the smoothest alcohol with a prime soft and rich rounded taste Origins to why it’s there in the first place are pretty murky but there are two stories that make sense. The first of which is simply a marketing ploy. Which to be fair, works wonders. When staring unknowingly at a shelf of mezcal it can be difficult to choose one. When there's a drowned worm in the bottom of the bottle that stands out, promotes curiosity and hence makes you want to buy it. In Mezcal production, ABV is determined by pouring a stream of the mezcal into a small vessel to induce surface bubbles. These bubbles, known as pearls by the Mezcal producers, will remain stable for tenths of seconds only if the alcohol content is close to 50%Everyone old enough to drink has a Tequila story. Whether its good or bad, about yourself or someone else, Tequila is without a doubt a memory making spirit. Basically, they pour the liquid and can tell by how many bubbles appear, how fast they burst and how large they are what the exact abv is. Testing has been done and they are very accurate with this method. An even simpler way to think of it is that Mezcal is like whisky. Whisky is an umbrella term that covers a whole range of styles, Bourbon is not the same as Scotch but it still falls under the term whisky. In that likening, whisky is mezcal and bourbon is Tequila. The reason people go wrong with this is by mixing tequila with sugary drinks or drinking mixto tequila which is not 100% 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:The two big name mixto tequilas you should avoid at all cost are sierra and Jose cuervo, these are the mixto tequila giving tequila a bad name. Now before we move on to how to enjoy tequila, we must talk about Mixto Tequila. This is the one thing you should know about tequila. It’s not just a difficult process, but an expensive process. The good thing is that it ensures that what you’re drinking is true to tequila and is of high quality. The myth, the legend, the confusion of that floating worm inside our tequila bottles. Some of us have never even seen one other than in movies. Is it even a real thing? Does it still exist? I’m here to tell you that yes it does exist, and yes it is still a thing. That is the basic process of making tequila complete, however, there is a final optional step involved, Tequila can be aged in oak casks to impart some richer, woody flavours and colour which is where different styles of tequila come into play. Blanco Tequila: