La Penca Con Gusano – which translates to “La Penca with a Worm” – is a mezcal that truly wears its agave worm on its sleeve. In fact, some bottles of La Penca can come with two worms inside them. Spencer, Charles S; Redmond, Elsa M. (2001). "Multilevel Selection and Political Evolution in the Valley of Oaxaca, 500–100 B.C.". Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 20 (2): 195–229. doi: 10.1006/jaar.2000.0371.

a b Redmond, Elsa M. (1983). "A Fuego y Sangre: Early Zapotec Imperialism in the Cuicatlán Cañada". University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Museum of Anthropology Memoir 16. 16. 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. Marcus, Joyce (1983). Flannery, K.V.; Marcus, J. (eds.). In The Cloud People. New York: Academic Press. pp.175–181.

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Everyone calls it the “tequila worm,” but here’s another thing that’s going to blow your mind. It’s not in tequila, and it’s not a worm. Gasp! a b c d e f g h i Marcus, Joyce; Flannery, Kent V. (1996). Zapotec Civilization: How Urban Society Evolved in Mexico's Oaxaca Valley. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05078-3. Others allege that this story is fiction. As modern tellings would have it, this “tradition” was actually fabricated in the 1940s as a clever marketing ploy to distinguish certain mezcals on the shelf. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or just dipping your toes into this world, I invite you to join me as we explore the fascinating realm of these legendary spirits. Tequila affects everyone differently, so the amount of shots you can drink may be more or less than your friends.

This one might be cheating. Rather than an agave worm inside a bottle of tequila, this is actually a bottle of tequila within a giant spectacle of an agave worm.

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The mezcal factory! Well, if you like genuinely good mezcal, don’t get too excited. The mezcal is not bad, but it’s far from the best you can taste in Oaxaca. They will get you through the process from the agave plant to the final product. Which you’ll taste in the end. Mexico City or CDMX was one of our favorite places in Mexico. One of the main reasons was definitely the fact there is pretty good public transportation around the city. There are two main myths about how the worm got into the bottle. The first is that it was put in the bottle of mezcal as a marketing ploy, and it worked! We’ll get more into this a little later, but for now, know this: the larvae haven’t been used for centuries. Mezcal drinkers first started seeing the worm in the bottle around the 1950s, when a young entrepreneur named Jacobo Lozano Páez claimed that the worm made the mezcal taste better.

Tequila is made with rigid standards. For starters, tequila can only be produced from blue agave, while mezcal can be made from 28 varieties of agave. Balkansky, Andrew K. (2002). "The Sola Valley and the Monte Albán State. A Study of Zapotec Imperial Expansion". University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Museum of Anthropology Memoir 36. 36.Mexican and Central American Archaeological Projects - Electronic articles published by the Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. Before the tour groups finally get there, use the toilet, get all the organization information, etc., you’ve already taken a hundred pictures of the empty place and got to the South Platform.