Tequila sometimes has a worm. Am I supposed to swallow the worm or throw it away?!?

Answer 1

Tequila Myth #1:
There's a worm in tequila.
There is no worm in Mexican-bottled tequila. Yes, some American-bottled brand(s) put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it's only a marketing ploy and not a Mexican tradition. There is a worm - called a gusano, properly a butterfly caterpillar (Hipopta Agavis) - in some types of mezcal (but not all). You may also get a small bag of 'worm salt' - dried gusano, salt and chile powder tied to a mezcal bottle.

The worm-in-the-bottle myth is old and tired. The truth has been broadcast and expounded for years by the cognoscenti of tequila, in newspapers, magazines and on the Net. There should be no need to defend tequila; we should not have to dispel this myth further. It is merely an urban legend.

Is the worm even a traditional element in mezcal production? Not according to Del Maguey Mezcal producers: they say it's a recent development, a marketing ploy that appeared only in the 1940s to try and get more attention on mezcal - and they should know. It's worth reading their story at: www.mezcal.com/worms.html.

There are two types of gusano in mezcal: the red (gusano rojo - considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey) and the less-prized white or gold (gusano de oro), which lives on the leaves. The red gusano turns pale in the mezcal, the gold turns ashen-grey. Both larvae are commonly eaten as food and are sold in Zapotec markets.

Yes, you're supposed to eat the worm in mezcal. Don't worry: it's quite well pickled and free of pesticides (they're often raised just for use in mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year). But dispel any idea it has any magical or psychotropic properties, that it's an aphrodisiac or the key to an 'unseen world.' It's merely protein and alcohol - but it's very rich in imagery

Answer 2

Tequila DOES NOT HAVE A WORM. I have seen them in as marketing ploys but stay away from it. It would be as foreign as kool aid saying it is milk. Now mescal has it. This is a beverage made from the agave plant (like tequila )on a open fire so it tastes VERY Smokey. The agave worm which works in symbiosis with the agave plant is inserted in this drink to remove the smoke flavor. And if your drinking mescal EAT THE WORM… it tends to absorb alcohol and it make you very buzzed quickly

Answer 3

Actually tequila doesn't have a worm, mescal does, and you can do what you want with it, eat it, throw it away, whatever. It is said that if you eat the worm you can talk with God. You'll have to decide that for yourself.

p.s. mescal tastes like moldy dirt!!

Answer 4

IF YOU SWALLOW THE WORM YOU GOING BE F****D UP FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT BECAUSE IN FACT THE WORM ACTS LIKE A SPONGE AND HAS A WHOLE LOT OF ALCOHOL IN ITS TINY LITTLE BODY BUT YOU ARE INTENDED TO SWALLOW IT...I WOULDN'T THOUGH

Answer 5

Answer is yes.

The tequila shot with salt on one hand and a bite of lime is Hollywood stuff and few people drink it that way, mostly tourists.

Gracias!

Answer 6

Swallow it. It sometimes gives you visions.
The worm has certain protiens that counteract the impotence.

Answer 7

Mescal has the worm,used to absorb a type of poison in the cactus juice.Eating it is optional,it wont hurt you if you do.

Answer 8

No worm in Tequila, that would be mezcal... visit ianchadwick.com to learn more about tequila...

Answer 9

You are supposed to swallow it. Legend says it could make you hallucinate, but it's not really true.

Answer 10

You are in fact supposed to swallow it. Yuk! Good luck with that!