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.
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.
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.
[[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.
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.
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?
Huh, good point. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/990702.html
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/
bump - a cecil post