If you've ever perused the mezcal selection at a large liquor store, chances are you've seen a few choice bottles with a worm lounging around the bottom. Don't worry: It's dead, and it's supposed to be in there. That worm has a lot of myths surrounding it.
Some people say that if you drink it, it'll cause you to hallucinate (it won't). Another myth regarding that worm is that it'll get you particularly drunk — which isn't true either. The high alcohol content of mezcal, which can range between 40% to 55%, is the real culprit when it comes to getting you tipsy.
The worm is soaked in mezcal, so it will certainly contribute to your drunkenness, but there's nothing in the worm itself that enhances intoxication. The presence of an insect in your bottled beverage is clearly an unusual feature, which is why it's a subject worth learning about. What is it? Why is it there? What is its purpose? We'll address all those questions, as well as the thing you're probably most curious about: What the squirmy-looking thing tastes like.
What is a mezcal worm? First off, the worm inside that bottle of mezcal isn't actually a worm, but rather an insect larva. For many years, it wasn't quite clear what type of larva it was, but in a study published in March of 2023 in the hourrnal , researchers found that its DNA matched the agave redworm moth. Though it's popularly believed that the mezcal worms were originally placed in mezcal bottles as sort of a marketing stunt for a brand of mezcal called .
