Tequila vs Mescal

While sipping tequila with my friends Jacinto, Hidalgo, and two other guys whose names I don't seem to recall (my memory isn't the best, even when I'm sober), we got comparing notes on what we know about tequila and mescal. I recognize that there is a word limit for the Straight Dope, but we have a few picky corrections and additions to the column on "worms in tequila."

So Midwesterners say "hah!" after "purists" when referring to tequila/mescal drinkers. Cecil, Cecil, Cecil; what am I going to do with you? (A better question might be what will you *let" me do with you, but never mind that).

You were correct, at least, to say that tequila is an offshoot of mescal as opposed to the other way around. But mescal and tequila are completely different products in a number of ways. First of all they are made from different varieties of the agave plant. They are also cooked/processed differently, which I'll get to in a minute.

Both have their origins in "Pulque" which is the original agave drink dating back around 2000 years. This is probably what Cecil was referring to when he described "home-brewed firewater" consumed by the locals. It can still be found - at least I found it in my college days - in rural, central Mexico but it's not distilled, so isn't exported out of the country that I know of. It's pretty raw stuff, but you gotta consider the "ambiente" (atmosphere) in which it's drunk to truly appreciate it.

Mescal is made elsewhere in Mexico, not just the Oaxaca area (though the superior brands - here's where Cecil says "hah!" - tend to come from that region). But that does *not* define the difference between tequila and mescal, as Cecil claimed. In fact if I'm not mistaken, the whole Oaxaca connection is a fairly recent government marketing ploy to promote the Oaxaca region, using its connection to this traditional brew... kind of like Bourbon having to come from Kentucky to be called that. Tequila is steam baked and distilled twice, and mescal is cooked underground in stone pits with charcoal, giving it a distinctive smoky flavor. Until recently, mescal was only distilled once, but some companies are now distilling it twice, like tequila. Several companies have gone back to the traditional methods of making mescal; gathering and carrying agave plants on donkey back to the pits to cook. Encantado Mescal and the Del Maguey companies are two of these, and their products are considered among the best.

This Paez guy who introduced the worm to the mass market actually started doing this earlier than 1950, but started mass marketing it then. Yes, it was a marketing ploy, but he did believe that the worm gave mescal a special flavor. Some companies (and I think Paez started this, too) also tie a small bag to the bottle containing salt, spices, and some powdered worm to add more flavor to the beverage. Cecil mentioned that the "genuine agave worm" is coral colored and said that some companies substitute an inferior white worm. The red worm (gusano rojo) lives in the root of the agave and the white worm (gusano de oro) lives in the leaves. One popular mescal imported into the US is Dos Gusanos, which contains one of each of these worms. I don't know of any taste test concluding that the red worm tastes better, though no doubt it is more attractive.

Let me know when you're in New Mexico next, Cecil. I'll buy you a drink and I'll take the worm.
Jill

How cool is a chick who appreciates her Tequila! We gotta party sometime ;)

[[I'll take the worm.]] Jill


:::Beavis and Butthead style laughter:::

[[:::Beavis and Butthead style laughter:::]]

You're sick. And what could you *Possibly* be referring to, if we're talking about Cecil here?
Jill

[[You're sick. ]]


You're just noticing that?

One of my college professors who spent several years in the 60's and 70's teaching in Mexico City told me a few things about tequila:

1) The worm is in there to demonstrate the alcohol content. If it doesn't rot, it's not watered down.

2) Tequila was cheaper than formaldehyde, so the university bio labs used booze to preserve specimens, e.g. fetal pigs, cats, maybe human bits too. Consequently, when the students got rambunctious, the first place to be secured were the labs, to prevent the rioters from drinking the specimen preservative. (Ewww).

Anecdotal, perhaps. Anyone care to confirm or deny?

[[Anecdotal, perhaps. Anyone care to confirm or deny?]]

I have also heard, from Mexican people, the theory that the worm is there to demonstrate the purity of the tequila. Of course any old rot gut would keep a worm from decomposing (avoiding, for now, the debate about whether all tequila is rot gut). I think this theory arose long after the practice, though. I forgot to mention earlier that I've eaten fried grubs in Latin America, and they taste a lot better when they're crispy (with a sprinkling of salt)than when they are mescal-logged.
Jill

[[purity of the tequila]] Mescal, I meant dammit, mescal. You people...

Okay, I don't know about Mescal, or Tequial...Well, the difference between them anyway. But I DO know about the worm part. It's to test how strong the liquor is. If the worm is still wriggling by the time it gets to the bottom of the bottle, then it's not real strong. But if it stops wriggling bout halfway down...Then it's good strong stuff. Why those drunken guys were ordering the worm after they had already tasted the stuff puzzles me. They're just loco gringos. I spose thats all I have to add to that.

Okay, I don't know about Mescal, or Tequial...Well, the difference between them anyway. But I DO know about the worm part. It's to test how strong the liquor is. If the worm is still wriggling by the time it gets to the bottom of the bottle, then it's not real strong. But if it stops wriggling bout halfway down...Then it's good strong stuff. Why those drunken guys were ordering the worm after they had already tasted the stuff puzzles me. They're just loco gringos. I spose thats all I have to add to that.

Jill - I'm wondering now if pulque is not distilled, how does it achieve "firewater" status? What's the alcohol content of this stuff?

I think that worm is in there so brave souls have a method whereby they can encourage their drinking companions to gag and retch.

I was told by my high school Latin teacher many years ago (why this subject would come up in Latin class I don't know) that Mezcal is more than just an alcoholic beverage. True Mezcal, which he told us was prohibited from being imported into the USA, contained traces hallucinogenic substances related to Mescaline, from which latter got its name. As for the worm, he claimed it had something to do with fermentation, but having gone on to college, and done quite well in science (Straight As, and I was History Major) I would doubt that, as yeast causes fermentation.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this information, and I'd hate to propogate a myth over the internet, but heck, if I didn't someone else would anyway. perhaps Cecil or his Trusty Staff could look into this.

John, aka The Pilot of the Airwaves

[[I'm wondering now if pulque is not distilled, how does it achieve "firewater" status?]] Nickerz

I don't know how alcoholic a beverage needs to be for it to be considered "firewater," but pulque is fermented.


[[ What's the alcohol content of this stuff?]]


I believe it's somewhere around the level of a strong ale or a not-so-strong wine.

<< {{ [[I'll take the worm.]] Jill

:::Beavis and Butthead style laughter:::}}


You're sick. And what could you *Possibly* be referring to, if we're talking about Cecil here? >> JillyGat


I just noticed the following passage in your initial post, Jill. :)

"Cecil, Cecil, Cecil; what am I going to do with you? (A better question might be what will you *let" me do with you, but never mind that)."


Huh huh ... huh huh ... huh huh ...

1. Never having been to Mexico or interviewed tequila/mezcal producers, I only know what I read in the papers, but I have usually seen the explanation presented that "tequila" is a form of mezcal from the "Tequila" region of Mexico (much like champagne is different from other sparkling wines because it is made in the Champagne region of France). I make no other representations as to differences in production -- all I know is that different good mezcals can have very different tastes.

2. According to this site (http://www.mezcal.com/worms.html), the worm is not traditional at all per se (although it traditionally wound up in some batches because it sometimes infests the plants), and is mainly a relatively recent marketing gimmick, although it does alter the taste of the mezcal. Take it for what it's worth, but it sure sounds plausible.

[[I'm wondering now if pulque is not distilled, how does it achieve "firewater" status? What's the alcohol content of this stuff?]] - Nickrz

[[I don't know how alcoholic a beverage needs to be for it to be considered "firewater," but pulque is fermented.]] - Big Iron


I've never come across a definition of firewater - so I just assumed it meant the stuff that "burns" going down. Many (but not necessarily all) distilled/high-proof drinks will do that - but I suppose other things could cause the same effect, depending what's in them. Any pulque-drinkers want to chime in?

As for being fermented, does anyone know of an alcoholic (i.e. ethanol) drink that isn't? Perhaps you were confusing "distilled" with "fermented," Big Iron? Else I'm just confused myself...and your response has revealed that fact yet again.

Anyone here who drinks tequila or mescal for the "burn" as much as the sweet, sweet taste...might want to try Mao Tai, 110 to 120 proof and about the closest thing to raw Diesel #2 I've ever ingested. But you can get used to it, around the third "toast"...

[[Jill - I'm wondering now if pulque is not distilled, how does it achieve "firewater" status? What's the alcohol content of this stuff?]] Nickrz

I'm still looking for an answer for you on this. I would guess that pulque is similar to wine in alcohol content. It can't be exported, because it only "lasts" a few days after fermentation. It's pretty unstable stuff, and gets sour pretty fast. I can't explore this for you personally, because women are not allowed in pulquerias (even though one legend has it that an Aztec woman was the first to discover such uses of the maguey agave plant juices).

[[As for being fermented, does anyone know of an alcoholic (i.e. ethanol) drink that isn't? Perhaps you were confusing "distilled" with "fermented," Big Iron? ]]


Nope, I'm pretty sure pulque is fermenterd, not distilled. I suppose some stuff is fermented before and later on also distilled,

[[Nope, I'm pretty sure pulque is fermenterd, not distilled. I suppose some stuff is fermented before and later on also distilled]]

Yes, most alcoholic beverages such as brandy, etc., are fermented, then distilled. Distillation, I believe, is a process of heating and condensation. Because the beverage is condensed, the alcohol content is higher. Mezcal is usually distilled once, and tequila is usually distilled twice or even three times.

[[Jill - I'm wondering now if pulque is not distilled, how does it achieve "firewater" status? What's the alcohol content of this stuff?]] Nickrz

{{I'm still looking for an answer for you on this. I would guess that pulque is similar to wine in alcohol content. }} Jill

Two tequila/mezcal sites I visited said pulque was comparable in alcohol content to a not-so-strong wine.

A book in my possesion, however ("A Guide to Tequila, Mezcal, and Pulque" by Virginia B. de Barrios, from Minitiae Mexicana publications), describes pulque as having alcoholic content "no higher than that of mild beer." I would guess that it can vary significantly from batch to batch.

The book also notes that tequila is a variant of mezcal and takes it's name from one of the towns where it is made. Wile only one species of maguey will produce true tequila, it says, there are a number of species that will make good mezcals

I can't explore this for you personally, because women are not allowed in pulquerias Oh, those wacky pulquerias!

When will they come into the 90's and realize inebriation and debauch should not be an exclusively male arena? I'm calling Pat Ireland.

[[Oh, those wacky pulquerias!
When will they come into the 90's and realize inebriation and debauch should not be an exclusively male arena? I'm calling Pat Ireland.]]

Hey, I just said they didn't let women into the pulquerias. I didn't say they didn't offer it to me to drink.

I suppose revelry in the kitchen with the help is better than nothing. ;-)

Nope, I'm pretty sure pulque is fermented, not distilled. I suppose some stuff is fermented before and later on also distilled

All alcohol is, by definition, fermented. The distinction you're looking for is the following:

Distilled -- made like "hard" liquor.

Brewed -- made like beer or ale.

You may now resume.

[[All alcohol is, by definition, fermented. The distinction you're looking for is the following:

Distilled -- made like "hard" liquor.

Brewed -- made like beer or ale.
You may now resume.]]

And where does wine fit into this? Just testing. You may now resume.
Jill

Damn. I should have changed the dustbag before I tried that, too. This tastes awful.

Concerning the non-distilled drinks, the Chinese purified(?) or bred(?) a yeast that produces into the ~20% ethanol range before poisoning itself - BUT - I think they brew their higher-proof stuff with grains, not fruits.

Could just as easily be wrong...anyone find more info.?

Ethyl alcohol in beverages can be, and is, produced from nearly any fruit or grain. Traditionally it has been made from whatever was available as a local surplus - wheat or potatos in Europe, rice in Asia, and agave in Central America. In its most simple process, mashed and mixed with water, the solution will ferment due to the presence of local yeast varieties on the outside of the main ingredient.

The yeast consumes the starch and / or sugars from the m.i. and produces alcohol as a waste product, continuing to do so until it runs out of food, is stopped by the brewer adding alcohol or sulfates to the mix, or by being poisoned by the alcohol it's producing. Apparently this maxes out at ~14-16% for fruit juices and rice, but is lower for grains, probably due to their lower sugar content. From the sound of things, agave is more like grain in this regard. Home brews without the benefit of precise temperature control and ingredient purity tend to max out at the lower end of a 3-10% range of alcohol content, so I'd guess we'd find pulque somewhere around that. I've heard that the agave has trace amounts of the more entertaining byproducts produced by the mescaline cactus varieties, so I wonder if pulque might provide an experience from more than just the alcohol content. I've never had the opportunity to try it though - any comments from those who have?

For hard alcohol take the mash created above and condense the alcohol. This can be done by heating the liquid and cooling the vapors - alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water. Also called pot distillation, this is the most common method. Alternately you can chill the liquid and scoop out the water-based ice that forms, alcohol having a lower freezing point than water. Or you can use a vacuum for a similar effect. At this point you've got a vodka-like hooch that can be pretty high in alcohol but probably will be a bit harsh-tasting. Turning this into whiskey, brandy etc. is a longer story.

Making alcohol using a vacuum - before someone else makes fun of my awkward phrasing there, by that I meant low air pressure, not an Electrolux.

I read in some gardening or cooking magazine about Mezcal. They said that the agave plants are allowed to form flower stalks. As soon as the stalks get to a certain height, they are cut off, and the plant then swells up because the water isnt going to the stalk anymore. They cut the leaves off, and then roast the core of the plant (i think they called it a pina because it looked kinda like a pineapple. This core would be roasted, then mashed by a stone wheel turned by a burro :). The juice would be collected and fermented, then distilled. Any truth to this?

I do know i don't like mezcal much. The type I had (Called "Gusano Rojo" and yes, it had a worm) tasted smokey with a flowery taste to it. Anyway i have found those hard liquors dont burn me like they do others. And i dont even drink either...

Nothing like a truly spirited discussion...<<snicker>> :)
Typer

[Cecil Adams]

Jill writes:

While sipping tequila with my friends Jacinto, Hidalgo, and two other guys whose names I don't seem to recall (my memory isn't the best, even when I'm sober), we got comparing notes on what we know about tequila and mescal. I recognize that there is a word limit for the Straight Dope, but we have a few picky corrections and additions to the column on "worms in tequila."

Great. I've got one person disputing me on the basis of something she saw on TV, and you giving me grief due to research you did while getting tanked with a bunch of guys whose names you can't remember. Next I'll have people arguing with me based on stuff channeled to them by aliens. Whoa! Wait! That's already happened ... see Return of the Straight Dope, p. 77. So please excuse if I've been tardy in replying.

You were correct, at least, to say that tequila is an offshoot of mescal as opposed to the other way around. But mescal and tequila are completely different products in a number of ways. First of all they are made from different varieties of the agave plant. They are also cooked/processed differently, which I'll get to in a minute.

Mescal at one time was the generic name for Mexican brandies, and was commonly understood to mean any product of the agave plant. In fairly recent times mescal was defined by the Mexican government as a certain subset of agave distillates made mostly in the region around Oaxaca. So, broadly speaking, tequila is type of mescal, but legally tequila and mescal are now separate products. I was careless in saying mescal was "popularly understood" to mean stuff from Oaxaca; should have said "legally understood."

This Paez guy who introduced the worm to the mass market actually started doing this earlier than 1950, but started mass marketing it then.

The press accounts I have seen say he started the worm thing in 1950, but he founded the company in 1942 so perhaps he just introduced it to the mass market in 1950.

Yes, it was a marketing ploy, but he did believe that the worm gave mescal a special flavor.

No argument. That's what I thought I said.

Let me know when you're in New Mexico next, Cecil. I'll buy you a drink and I'll take the worm.

That's OK, hon, I'll take it. The only thing worse than eating the worm is watching somebody else eat it.

[TubaDiva]

That's OK, hon, I'll take it. The only thing worse than eating the worm is watching somebody else eat it.

Some days you eat the worm, some days it eats you.

BTW, one of my frequent flyer pals tells me you can't get tequila (not even in one of those teeny bottles) when you travel on Delta Airlines -- he says a flight attendant told him it was a corporate decision made by Delta because "tequila makes people crazy." Anybody heard about this?

your humble TubaDiva
why yes, I WILL have another . . . no salt this time.

[DavidForster]

It's an interesting theory, but in my case people called me crazy long before I met Senor Tequila.

[Doobieous]

Has anyone here ever eaten those tequila suckers with the worm in it? :). I remember seeing these at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and everyone being too scared to buy one because of the worm in it :).

[DavidForster]

Not me, but my dad ate the one I bought for him.

And I videotaped him doing it.

And the mike picked up the grisly crunching sound made as he nibbled at the still-embedded worm with truly excellent, almost stomach-turning fidelity.

[Boomer]

This post comes almost 3 months after the last one but I just found this message board and I have a question that I hope someone will read and answer for me.

I was recently given a bottle of Mezcal which says gusano rojo. It is from Qaxaca. It is unopened but there isn't a worm in the bottle although there is a small amount of tiny particles of something floating around in it. Could it be that the worm rotted and disintegrated?

[JillGat]

Ew. I'd put that bottle on the shelf and keep it for its novelty value only.

[The_Peyote_Coyote]

Hell, JillGat, I think he ought to drink it. Think of the buzz he'll get. Besides it can't be harmful; tequila will sterilize anything.

[areynaldos]

Just following the thread about pulque. Although I didn't drink much when I did, most of the people here in Mexico say pulque has a real "punch"... Maybe it does not have too much alcohol, but most of the people say the effects of pulque and the hang-over are much worst than those of any other beverage. Could it be because of other substances? The general idea here is that this is caused by pulque being a sweet beverage. And by those who have drunk it, it is thick and driveling... is that the word for it?

[Rick Kitchen]

Bourbon does *not* have to be made in Kentucky to be called that. I used to live in the town of Reston, Virginia, which had its own bourbon distillery.

[Boomer]

A shot of disintegrated gusano rojo and a wedge of lime. hmmmmm yummy!

Not really. It looks kind of yucky if you hold the bottle up to the light. I think I'll take your advice and put it on a shelf. The bottle looks nice.

[JillGat]

Bienvenidos, Areynaldos. [[And by those who have drunk it, it is thick and driveling... is that the word for it?]] No, "driveling" is the word for the person who drank it.

[JillGat]

[[Bourbon does *not* have to be made in Kentucky to be called that. I used to live in the town of Reston, Virginia, which had its own bourbon distillery.]]

Rick, you might start another thread in "Comments about Mailbag Answers" forum if you're interested, as that refers to a Mailbag column. But maybe we mentioned it here? I think in that column I mentioned that one Bourbon distillery in Virginia, but maybe not.

[presines]

Just a comment froma a Tequila fan.

Tequila (good ones, any way) don't have worms.
It's mescal the one that does.
And any Tequileria traditional worker would tell you tequila is blue-agave mescal from Tequila, Jalisco. This mescal as a fine beverage from Oaxaca being nothing but tourism scam by gov as reported here.

[JillGat]

Huh, good point. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/990702.html

[JillGat]

Hey Presines, glad to have you here. We can always use more Tequila aficionados. But did you read Cecil's column and the responses here? We discussed some of your points there, too.

*tsst* Jill....is there a *link*?

[Ian Chadwick]

Pulque is fermented like beer or apple cider – often with natural yeast but more commonly with brewer’s yeast. It is made from the sap of several varieties of agave (maguey) plants – sometimes mixed together – siphoned from the heart of the plant. The sugars in the agave don’t ferment well until they are heated first – hence the cooking or steaming done before fermentation in tequila and mezcal. Thus pulque has a relatively low alcoholic content (2-5% depending on age, time of fermentation and type of agave used). It is also not pasteurized as is most beer or cider, and has no chemical additives to preserve it, so it quickly goes sour thanks to the effects of other less palatable yeasts or bacteria acting on the unfermented portions. There is one canned version available, which is factory-produced, so it can be stored (but I’m told it’s not very good). Pulque is only one of several national Mexican beverages. Pulquerias – once common – are rare in tourist areas these days. They not only discourage women (except sometimes as servers), but strangers as well. It’s difficult to get into one as a tourist, unless you know someone local who will take you with him. However, you may be able to get someone to bring a glass outside.

Mezcal wine was the name first used for distilled products of the agave. Later, the name tequila was used to identify mezcal wines made in the Jalisco area, as opposed to those made in other areas. Although technically tequila is a mezcal, the two have become very different products with distinct tastes, mostly because they have different production processes. Both are made from the head (cabeza or pina) of the mature agave, but for mezcal they are roasted in underground pits, while in tequila they are steamed in ovens. This results in very different flavours and aromas. The pinas are then crushed and the pulp fermented, then the fermented juice is later distilled in both processes. Traditionally mezcal is distilled once and tequila twice, but some mezcal manufacturers now have double distillation.

Mezcal may be made in many states, while tequila is more limited. However, traditional methods and processes have given the Oaxaca area a reputation for providing a better product. There are other products made from distilled agave sap, including sotol and raicilla. They, too, are technically ‘mezcals’ although no one calls them by that name these days.

Premium mezcals are as good a product as premium tequilas, although they have not found as large a commercial niche for sales or promotion as have tequila manufacturers. Tequila sales – especially 100% agave products – are soaring in the USA and are the only hard liquor products to show positive sales growth in the last decade. While tequila has had government-decreed standards for several decades, mezcal only recently got its own.

The worm/gusano – actually a butterfly larva - is not present in any premium mezcal that I have seen. It is not present in tequila at all, but can be purchased as a food in native markets in Oaxaca, should you care to try it as a dietary item (fried it has the consistency of a french fry). It may give the mezcal a sour flavour rather than enhancing it – but I find the common mezcals are rather unpalatable anyway, with strong gasoline flavours. Premium mezcals are smooth, smoky and quite enjoyable. Good tequilas and mezcals should be sipped like cognac and brandy.

Tequila is made from just one species of harvested agave; there are five that may be used in mezcal – but only two are common and commercially harvested. One variety, tobala, is a wild mountain agave, very rare, and the mezcal made from it is also hard to find.

Cheers
Ian Chadwick www.georgian.net/rally/tequila/ (http://www.georgian.net/rally/tequila/)

[curwin]

bump - a cecil post