What is the purpose of the worm in the tequila bottle?
THE MYTH: Tequila’s got that icky worm in the bottle. THE TRUTH: Mezcal has the worm in the bottle, tequila doesn’t. There are actually four different types of worms you might find in your bottle of mezcal. Sometimes it’s a small grub that can be either the larvae of a butterfly, or the larvae of a moth. The other possibility is that it is one of two gusano jojos. A red version of the gusano jojos is found in the roots of the agave, while a white gusano jojo lives in the leaves. The presence of any worm signifies that the alcohol content is sufficient to preserve the worm.
