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Description
When life gives you lemons, bust out the salt and tequila!

When aliens conquer and enslave the human race earth, they're going to put the humans who produced the tequila inside the bottles to indicate authenticity.

The Worm
Another interesting error is an urban legend related to a worm. 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 internet. Yes, it’s true, some American-bottled brands put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s, not a Mexican tradition.

If you are looking for a bottle with a worm, don’t look for it in a bottle of Tequila—only Mezcal is bottled with a worm. Mezcal is not the same as Tequila — the two should never be confused. Tequila is made exclusively from the blue agave plant, whereas Mezcal can be distilled from blue agave, in addition to the other varieties of maguey plant native to the area.

The use of the worm, or gusano is exclusive to Mezcal, since the Mexican standards authority, NOM, prohibits adding insects or larvae to tequila. It seems to be a rite of passage for many to take that first shot of Mezcal or to eat the worm at the bottom of the bottle. When you drink a bottle of Mezcal con gusano -- "with worm", what you actually have in your bottle is the larva of one of two moths that live on the maguey plant. It is a mariposa worm, which feeds on the agave plant, from which Mezcal is made. There are two types of worms found in Mezcal: the red, gusano rojo—considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey plant—and the less-prized white, or gold, gusano de oro, which lives on the leaves. In order to tell which worm is in your bottle, check out its coloring. The red gusano turns pale in the Mezcal and the gold turns ashen-gray. While shopping for Mezcal, you may also come across a Mezcal bottle with a small bag of worm salt and chile powder tied to it. Keep in mind, that as a rule, top-quality Mezcals do not include a worm in the bottle

Are you wondering if you’re supposed to eat the worm in Mezcal? Yes, in fact, it’s quite well pickled and free of pesticides as the worms are often raised just for use in Mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year. Aside from its use in Mezcal, the maguey worm is considered a delicacy in Mexico. The larvae are commonly eaten as food. They can be found on some restaurant menus and are sold in Zapotec markets. The worm is harmless to consume and it is believed in certain traditions that doing this is beneficial to the spirit and locks in the vigor of Mezcal.

Description
When life gives you lemons, bust out the salt and tequila!

When aliens conquer and enslave the human race earth, they're going to put the humans who produced the tequila inside the bottles to indicate authenticity.

The Worm
Another interesting error is an urban legend related to a worm. 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 internet. Yes, it’s true, some American-bottled brands put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s, not a Mexican tradition.

If you are looking for a bottle with a worm, don’t look for it in a bottle of Tequila—only Mezcal is bottled with a worm. Mezcal is not the same as Tequila — the two should never be confused. Tequila is made exclusively from the blue agave plant, whereas Mezcal can be distilled from blue agave, in addition to the other varieties of maguey plant native to the area.

The use of the worm, or gusano is exclusive to Mezcal, since the Mexican standards authority, NOM, prohibits adding insects or larvae to tequila. It seems to be a rite of passage for many to take that first shot of Mezcal or to eat the worm at the bottom of the bottle. When you drink a bottle of Mezcal con gusano -- "with worm", what you actually have in your bottle is the larva of one of two moths that live on the maguey plant. It is a mariposa worm, which feeds on the agave plant, from which Mezcal is made. There are two types of worms found in Mezcal: the red, gusano rojo—considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey plant—and the less-prized white, or gold, gusano de oro, which lives on the leaves. In order to tell which worm is in your bottle, check out its coloring. The red gusano turns pale in the Mezcal and the gold turns ashen-gray. While shopping for Mezcal, you may also come across a Mezcal bottle with a small bag of worm salt and chile powder tied to it. Keep in mind, that as a rule, top-quality Mezcals do not include a worm in the bottle

Are you wondering if you’re supposed to eat the worm in Mezcal? Yes, in fact, it’s quite well pickled and free of pesticides as the worms are often raised just for use in Mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year. Aside from its use in Mezcal, the maguey worm is considered a delicacy in Mexico. The larvae are commonly eaten as food. They can be found on some restaurant menus and are sold in Zapotec markets. The worm is harmless to consume and it is believed in certain traditions that doing this is beneficial to the spirit and locks in the vigor of Mezcal.