Monte Alban Mezcal, 70cl

Product Information

You may of already heard that tequila has to be made in Mexico and is made from the fermenting of agave and distilling of that liquid. But that’s not completely accurate, because there's a bunch of Mexican spirits that follow that same guideline. Mixto tequila uses 51% agave, technically an agave made spirit, and 49% cheaper sugars, usually corn sugar. I like to think of myself as the unpaid and unofficial global ambassador for all things tequila and agave even though I’m British through and through. Contrary to popular belief, seeking out brands of tequila with a worm in the bottle isn’t going to help you find a more flavorful drink. The worm doesn’t add anything to the alcohol. In Mezcal production, ABV is determined by pouring a stream of the mezcal into a small vessel to induce surface bubbles. These bubbles, known as pearls by the Mezcal producers, will remain stable for tenths of seconds only if the alcohol content is close to 50%

Everyone old enough to drink has a Tequila story. Whether its good or bad, about yourself or someone else, Tequila is without a doubt a memory making spirit. Drink with caution: it is not dangerous, but it is a common practice to attract the attention of tourists and chances are the Mezcal itself is of poor quality. Vegan alcohol includes spirits, beer, wine and cider which are free from animal products. Like the food we eat, vegans choose to avoid non-vegan alcohol and any products with animal-derived ingredients. The most common non-vegan ingredients in alcohol are isinglass, made from the dried swim bladders of fish, gelatine, made from boiled bones, flesh and ligaments, casein, a protein derived from cow’s milk, and albumin from egg whites. There are always exceptions to the rule and few brands produce with quality, add worms with the singular reason of enhancing their Mezcales with an earthy and fungal vibe. Our personal recommendations are El Cortijo reposado con gusano and Wahaka reposado con gusano. They are aged in oak barrels and the worm intensifies their aromatic profile. That oak profile makes those Mezcales specifically suited for the worm. You should definitely give them an opportunity and if you have tasted other really good Mezcales with worms, let us know. BOWEN, Sarah (2015), Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production, University of California Press, California, USA.

Mezcal is traditionally from Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Michoacan. Tequila comes from the Jalisco region. We @Agavache have a commitment to educate about the sensorial qualities of mezcal and the history and traditions around it. We know that Mezcal with a worm is an intriging topic and we’ll give you some advise because, Yes, of course! We have drank it.

Turns out, you’ve been misled. Yes, tequila worms are real. And yes, you can still find them in bottles. There are a couple of things you need to know, though. They are also environmentally friendly, they plant 10 new agave plants for every 1 they harvest and invest 10% of there profits into ecological and social sustainability programmesThe fun we had sneaking worms into shots of mezcal for one and other. Living on diets of mezcal and worms. Those were the days.