Eat a Tequila Worm
Tip the last splash from the bottle and there it is: the infamous “tequila worm”, soaked in spirit and waiting at the bottom. Getting it out is usually the hardest part; eating it is over in seconds. The larva is soft from its time in alcohol, with little of the crunch you might expect, and the experience is driven as much by bravado, curiosity and the reactions of everyone watching as by flavour. There is one important correction behind the name: the worm belongs to mezcal, not tequila . Some mezcals, particularly products associated with Oaxaca, have been bottled con gusano (“with worm”). The creature is actually an insect larva associated with the agave plant; scientific analysis of specimens from mezcal bottles has identified the red agave moth Comadia redtenbacheri . Despite the stories surrounding it, putting a worm in the bottle isn't an ancient requirement of mezcal production and became strongly associated with commercial marketing. Maguey larvae themselves, however, have a genuine place in Mexican food culture and are also used in dishes and sal de gusano , a seasoned salt traditionally served with mezcal. Find a commercially produced bottle of mezcal con gusano rather than dropping an insect into an ordinary bottle yourself. Share the bottle if you want to make an occasion of it, work your way down responsibly, and decide who gets the final mouthful. No pilgrimage to Mexico is required, although trying mezcal and edible insects in Oaxaca gives considerably more context than treating the worm purely as a drinking dare. Add this to your list and find out whether you're actually prepared to eat the thing at the bottom of the bottle.