Mezcal Loses the Worm
Stolen from the Houston Chronicle without 8ZERO8's permission.
Is mescal's worth all about the worm?
Makers will soon find out, as Mexico bans the liquor's legendary additionBy JENALIA MORENOCopyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The worm is so much a part of the lore of mescal liquor that it's even made it to the big screen.
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In Urban Cowboy, ex-con Wes Hightower places a bottle of mescal to his lips, tilts it back and waits as the worm slowly drifts down the neck through the golden liquid.
With a quick, final slurp, he sucks the worm into his mouth, flicks it back out between his front teeth, crunches down and swallows.
Macho rituals like this, played out by Scott Glenn's character in the 1980 movie and played out by men — and women — for years, may soon come to an end if the Mexican government sticks by its decision to ban the worm from bottles of mescal.
Hoping to upgrade mescal's image, the Mexican government drafted new standards for the smoky-flavored liquor more than 10 years ago. And beginning Feb. 10, bottlers will no longer be allowed to add worms, fruit or herbs to their mescal.
As might be expected, the new standards don't sit well with its brewers and distributors.
"The worm draws your attention," said Celia Villanueva, the founder of Houston-based Mexcor, which distributes the Lajita brand. "It's popular with young people."
Jose Villanueva, one of the industry leaders who participated in earlier stages of developing the regulations, hopes Mexico's secretary of economy intervenes before the new rules take effect.
"The standards were badly done," he said.
If they stand, he said, abandoning the worm would hurt mescal sales.
"What we've seen from the export market is that the market asks for it," said Oralia Aragon, a manager at the Mexican Regulatory Commission for the Quality of Mescal.
Humble beginningsMescal has long been overshadowed by the more trendy tequila, which also is made from the agave plant but without a worm. International beverage giants have invested their money in the agave fields and distilleries of Jalisco, helping to popularize tequila, which can sell for more than $300 a bottle.
Mescal, in contrast, is often made by mom-and-pop producers, primarily in the southern state of Oaxaca, where small distilleries line rugged roads. Some of the smallest producers sell mescal in plastic containers.
In addition to selling bottles, these vendors deal in mescal and worm folklore. They say the worm has aphrodisiac qualities or that consuming the worm is good luck.
But some consumers simply drink mescal-based cocktails for their flavor.
"By the time you get to the bottom, it wouldn't matter if there was a dime at the bottom," said Steve Wiley, who sipped a Oaxaca Rita, a margarita made with mescal rather than tequila, at Hugo's, a Mexican restaurant, on a recent night.
The 'worm club'The worm has proved a good marketing device for companies such as Monte Alban, which controls more than 70 percent of the U.S. mescal market. During promotional events, every consumer who imbibes a shot of Monte Alban gets a worm and the company produces a newsletter called the Worldwide Order of the Worm for its 4,000 "worm club" members.
Though tequila outsells mescal, the drink did become more popular after the release of Urban Cowboy.
"It was a big fad for a while," said John Rydman, owner of Spec's Liquor Warehouse.
Shortly after the movie was released, one mescal maker added three worms to each of its bottles.
"They were trying to outworm each other," Rydman said.
But the drink wasn't very good, he said.
These days, several producers concentrate on turning out finer mescals, many without a worm.
"It's not the same old rotgut stuff with a worm in it that it has been," said Rydman, who sells the Del Maguey brand mescal, which costs more than $120 a bottle.
Meant to enhance flavorThe worm found its way into bottles of mescal more than five decades ago when producers wanted to create a smoother flavor for the potent libation, said Jose Villanueva, whose company makes both tequila and mescal.
Some mescal producers, especially those in the coastal state of Guerrero, choose to add herbs to their blends. Others added apples, pears or mandarin oranges. Villanueva also produces the Divino brand of mescal, which contains a pear instead of a worm.
Native to the heart of the agave, the bug comes out when it rains, allowing worm wranglers an easy harvest.
Loaded with protein, these critters are part of the regional cuisine in southern Mexico, where cooks often fry them and add spices.
Worms are so popular that they cost several cents each. There's even a shortage of the crawly creatures in Mexico, Villanueva said.
So if the mescal industry loses its fight against the government, worm eaters may find the delicacy more abundant — and cheaper.
But the industry would find itself without its classic icon.
"It would be absurd if the government doesn't intervene," Villanueva said.
posted by Amo Del Agave | 7:40 AM
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