What happens if you eat the worm in mezcal?

Finally, as long as we’re busting myths, here’s another one: Does eating the worm cause hallucinations? Nope. If you start seeing things after eating the worm, it probably has more to do with the mezcal you had to drink than the actual larva. Some people who have eaten a mezcal worm say it tastes like chicken.

Does mezcal worm make you hallucinate?

The worm does not give you hallucinations, and it is not an aphrodisiac. The credit here goes to the amount of Tequila or Mezcal a person consumes. Oddly enough, there are many kinds of gusano de maguey (Agave Worms), but only the Chinicuil Gusano is used. So, when you eat the worm, you are partaking in tradition.

Are there worms in mezcal?

Not the mummified ones you might find soaking in the bottoms of rotgut mezcal bottles — originally placed there as a marketing scheme to sell cheap liquor — but the ones you order on purpose, as dinner. The worms themselves are actually caterpillars — specifically, the larva of a moth called the gusano de maguey.

Why is there a scorpion in mezcal?

Unlike the “worm” (which is a larval form of a moth that lives in the agave plant), the scorpion is more of a gimmick. You’re not really supposed to eat it. It was first done by Douglas French at Caballeros Inc in 1995- and was, from his own words, clearly just a machismo stunt.

Why is a worm in tequila?

The legend of the worm started in the 1950s when a Mexican mezcal maker discovered a moth larvae in a batch of mezcal. This mezcal maker thought the worm’s presence actually improved its taste. He placed a worm in each bottle as a marketing strategy. Over time, other manufacturers followed suit due to its popularity.

What’s with the worm in tequila?

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. These larvae are called gusano and bottles of mezcal that contain the lil guys are referred to as con gusano.

What is the tequila that has a worm in it?

Mezcal
The Mexican spirit that does have a worm in the bottle is called Mezcal. Yes, both tequila and mezcal are similar, so it’s easy to see how the mistake can be made—but there is no worm in tequila.

Does mezcal worm get you drunk?

Does the tequila worm get you drunk? No, although it’s soaked and pickled in mezcal, there isn’t enough booze on the warm itself to get you drunk. The shots you take to build yourself up to eating it however, might just do the job.

Is mezcal a tequila worm?

So tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila, and only mezcal has worms. 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.

What is the purpose of the worm in Mescal?

According to the Straight Dope website, mezcal maker Jacobo Lozano Paez discovered a moth larvae in a batch of mezcal in 1950, and thought the presence of the creature actually improved its taste . This gave him the idea to place a worm in each bottle of his mezcal as a marketing strategy to set his product apart from others.

Why is a worm in every mezcal bottle?

Culinary Lore claims the belief that it is traditional for there to be a worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila or mezcal is widespread. The thought behind the gesture is that a high proof, high-quality spirit would preserve the insect and prevent it from rotting.

Is the worm in mezcal hallucinogenic?

One of the urban legends surrounding the worm in mezcal is that the worm is so saturated in liquor that eating it causes a hallucinogenic reaction similar to that of peyote . This is likely one of the reasons why eating the worm remains a rite of passage to test the drinker’s machismo.

What Tequila has the worm?

The worm we’re all thinking of actually belongs in a bottle of mezcal, tequila’s huskier, smokier cousin (tequila has to be at least 51\% Blue Agave, but mezcal can be made from any variety of maguey succulents, the heart charred before distillation).