Do you eat the worm in a bottle of Mezcal?
Sigh.
There is so much to mezcal. It’s an amazing spirit. Yet people are so fixated on the idea of a drink with a worm in it.
So let’s make this point as early and as clear as possible: mezcal does NOT have to contain a worm. We repeat: mezcal DOES NOT = the spirit with the worm.
Some mezcals will have a little larvae in them. In nearly seven years of being a drinks writer, I’ve never encountered one. I’ve drank plenty of mezcal. Not one worm.
So let’s explain why mezcal is known as the spirit with the worm, what you’re supposed to do if you do find a wriggly little passenger in your drink, and why you need to push past this nonsense and enjoy the true mezcal.
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What Tequila has a worm in it?
None. Tequila is a type of mezcal, which is to say that it’s a spirit made from agave, or maguey (learn more in our Tequila guides). But Tequila is not the spirit that has the worm in it.
As stated before, the occasional mezcal may have a worm in it. If your Tequila does, it’s either a real outlier or somebody is playing a prank on you. Perhaps you’ve taken a frog’s bottle instead.
Is anyone else now picturing an angry frog wearing a sombrero that has had his Tequila stolen? Just me? Moving on…
The infamous gusano. Image credit: iStock.
Why is there a worm in a bottle of Mezcal?
It would be a stretch to call this a tradition. The worm started as a basic marketing gimmick sometime in the mid-20th century.
We apparently have a former art student-turned-mezcal entrepreneur named Jacobo Lozano Paez to blame. He is said to have had the idea to put the worm, or gusano in Spanish, after realizing it would change the flavour of the spirit.
But how on earth would you find that out in the first place? Well, these greedy little gusanos feed on agave. It’s not unusual for a heart, or piña, to be roasted with worms and this is supposedly where Paez got his inspiration.
But let’s be honest, it’s pure marketing. It’s a shock ingredient, a conversation starter. Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup and a worm in my drink!
As Tequila began to flood the American market, there was a desire to market mezcal and make it stand out. All kinds of myths permeated from this one gimmick: the worm indicated purity as a strong, pure mezcal would keep the worm intact; or the worm would bring good fortune. Most far-fetched, the worm would impart virility…
It was never tradition to drink mezcal with a worm. At best, there is a suggestion that old practice on agave plantations was for jimadors (those who harvest the agave) to differentiate bottles of this clear spirit by using a dead worm already found on the plant.
Plop it in there and you know which one is the mezcal and which one is the Tequila, for example. An efficient, makeshift label - if you will. You probably won’t.
Are mezcal worms alive?
No. Probably something of a mercy for the gusano. Who would want to be suspended in pure mezcal for their entire life… wait a minute.
Are mezcal worms edible?
Technically. In the same way that the arm of your sofa or your neighbour is edible. That doesn’t mean it’s advisable to eat them.
Do people eat the worm in a bottle of mezcal?
Yes. Over the years, several myths have developed around the consumption of the worm, like it bringing good luck or possessing hallucinogenic properties. There’s no scientific basis for this.
Eating the worm or not ultimately comes down to preference. Or, more likely, whether your mate dares you to eat it.
The larvae, colloquially as the chincuil, have been eaten as part of the local cuisine for centuries and are said to have an intense, umami flavour that can be overwhelming if you’re trying it for the first time. Like an olive. They’re also very high in protein, just don’t tell the gym bros.
Traditionally chincuil is dried and ground with chilli, lime, and salt, or fried and eaten with orange slices or chilli and tomato sauces. I’d happily try one in this context and can understand how it makes a great cocktail or cooking ingredient.
A worm in a bottle of mezcal? No thanks. Almost all testimony I’ve found says the worms are gross directly from the bottle. Which, of course it is.
Gusano is consumed, just not traditionally in the mezcal itself. Image credit: iStock.
So what happens when you eat the worm in mezcal?
Nothing. It shouldn’t make you drunker, or more virile, or hallucinate, or make you sick.
The idea that it would make you more drunk or hallucinate probably arose because the worm was at the bottom of the bottle. To get to it, you (and others) may well have consumed a bottle of strong spirit before you could access the worm. That much mezcal would certainly make you drunk, and possibly even believe you were hallucinating.
Does the worm add to the flavour of mezcal?
Nope.
Does the worm get you drunk if you eat it?
No, there’s just not enough booze pickled into the worm to have any effect on its own.
Why don't they put the worm in mezcal anymore?
Some still do, it’s just gone out of fashion.
It was never authentic or traditional and so people gradually came to their senses and saw past the gimmick. It also excludes vegans and those against animal cruelty from imbibing, as well as most decent folk who, call them crazy, don’t want a worm in their drink.
The worm in a bottle of mezcal is not in keeping with the spirit’s modern, cool identity. Good luck trying to make that cool again.
There are many ways to drink mezcal. Pick every other kind. Image credit: Ilegal Mezcal
Is the mezcal worm even a worm?
NOPE.
Great question to end on, dear reader. You may recall seeing a few articles about this recently.
“Iconic 'tequila worm' in mezcal bottle is not really a worm”. That was one headline. It’s a complete mess, but you get the picture.
The animal in question is a moth larvae. It’s called gus, or to it its full name: gusano de maguey - a reference to it feeding off agave. They were actually easy to identify for research because the high alcohol content preserved their DNA.
There are two species of larva: the beetle scyphophorus acupunctatus and the moth comadia redtenbacheri. Try saying those with a mouthful of mezcal!
The first is a red larvae, which lives in the roots of the agave and feeds on the piña. It’s not often you see these in mezcal.
The latter is white larvae from the Cossidae family of moths which is probably the one you’re familiar with as it’s more common. These little guys feed on the leaves (called penca) and are collected from June to September as the hot, humid conditions prompt the larva to emerge from the plant. Gathering chincuil is a meticulous process, as the larvae must be extracted intact to prevent cloudiness in the mezcal.
You won’t be able to tell which colour larva you have in your bottle of mezcal purely from looking at it, however, as regardless of whether it’s red or white, after being preserved in alcohol, the 'worm' loses its colour and turns a light yellow.
To summarise:
- The mezcal worm is not a worm.
- It can be found in some mezcals. Not Tequila.
- We wouldn’t recommend any mezcal that has a worm, or that you eat it.
Be sure to read the rest of our mezcal guides to learn why this spirit is so much more than this lame marketing gimmick suggests.
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