Talk:Mezcal
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[edit] Worms and other additives
hey, i was fortunate enough to attend a lecture from the owner of the don amado distillery down in mexico, a maker of a fine Mezcal. while there, the owner stated that the worm added into the mezcal was simply the more popular, well known additives of mezcal. he said that each little regional distillery used to ad different little ingredients, almost like signatures, that were distinct for the area and local peoples. he showed us a old mezcal with some kind of a nut (almonds i believe) and one with a beetle, another with some kind of berry. he went on to say, just like the article suggests, that the modern version of con gusano was just a commercial gimmick of this traditional additive. so, i don't know if this is true, does anyone know more about this? --Joe_Volcano69.110.32.204 21:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Proof
I wonder if (in the spirit of standard units and other wikipedia guidelines) the old proof numbers referred should be changed to percentages.
- No, they should not. Proof is a measure of alcohol concentration used in the source material from which Wikipedia is derived. So is percentage. If you read the style guidelines for unites you will see that source units should always be preserved (with conversions where appropriate). So if you really want to, you could always go through and list conversions everywhere, but the easier thing to do is probably just to link the word "proof" to Alcoholic proof (which unfortunately implies that it's U.S. term, but since it's widely used in the U.K., I doubt that). -Harmil 17:57, 6 August 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Whose Law Is It Anyway?
"Contrary to public belief, tequila is, by law, not allowed to contain the worm."
Whose law is this? Mexico's? Los Estados Unidos? Some other country's?
- The mexican government controls the production of Tequila, but there is a complex relationship with private certification organizations. I believe that international enforcement is done through trademark law. -Harmil 02:18, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
[edit] worm
it states at the bottom of the page that it's illegal to sell mezcal with the worm in it, but i've seen plenty of bottles of monte alban in various states that clearly have a worm in them.
Here is why: While Tequila is a mezcal made only from the blue agave plant in the region around Tequila, Jalisco, spirits labeled "Mezcal" are made from other agave plants and are not part of the Tequila family
The spirits labeled "Mezcal" will be the ones that might contain the worm. Monte Albán is a brand name of this type of spirit. Tequila is a kind of mezcal, and that particular kind is the one that cannot have the worm by law.~ Enrique
[edit] Worm Time
Are you sure that it was in 1940 when Jacobo Lozano Páez introduced the worm? I did'nt find any source for that date. Most source tell that Jacobo Lozano Páez moved from Mexico to Parras. And in 1950, now owner of Atlántida, he discovered that the worm gives a different taste. Can you verify that? Yu_Kei (wikipedia Germany).
[edit] Destilado de maguey
Of recent years I have seen that "mezcal" has been looked down upon as being a low quality firewater type of drink as opposed to tequila which is upscale and trendy. Many mezcal producers, prohibited from using the term "tequila", now use the term "destilado de maguey" (distillation of maguey) instead of "mezcal" on their labels so as to hide their product's lowly origins. Maybe mention should be made of this.
[edit] destliado de maguey
I meant "destilado de agave" not "destilado de maguey".
[edit] Can the worm be eaten?
Or is that dangerous?
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- It's probably safe to eat the worm. They wouldn't put anything toxic in the bottle. --Jcmaco 00:08, 9 June 2006 (UTC)
- Except for the alcohol... ha ha...
[edit] Religion
Does anyone know of the traditional religious aspects of mezcal consumption? Schabot 21:34, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
Pulque is depicted in Native American stone carvings from as early as 200 AD. The origin of pulque is unknown, but because it has a major position in religion, many folk tales explain its origins. According to one pre-Columbian legendary account, during the reign of Tecpancaltzin, a Toltec noble named Papantzin discovered the secret of extracting aguamiel from the maguey plant.[citation needed] Prior to the Spanish conquest, the Aztecs consumed it at religious ceremonies.
