How to drink mezcal-Mexican alcohol with a worm

In fact, tequila is one of the many types of mezcal

Among those who know Mexican alcohol thanks to tequila, few people know that it has an"older brother"- mezcal, which appeared long before thatI suggest you learn more about this incredible drink and the culture of its consumption. Mezcal (in Spanish means"to drink") is a traditional Mexican alcoholic fortress obtained by fermenting and then distilling the juice of some varieties of agave (family asparagus) with the addition of sugar and other ingredients. From distilling (distillation), the Mexican tribes, who learned from the Spanish conquistadors, came to their territory in this century. Before that, the Indians drank a"Pulka"of a cloudy white liquid - a low-grade drink (degrees) of agave juice, resembling Braga. The unfortunate Spaniards began experimenting with local raw materials to get a real"fire and water". The first mention of mezkal dates back to the year. The godfather of the"drink"is don Pedro Sanchez, who founded the first factory for production. From the Spanish conquistadors, mezcal alcohol became the national drink of Mexico.

Mescal production technology is very simple.

First, the agave fruit, aged-years, is cut off before flowering.

At this time, they contain the largest amount of starch needed for fermentation.

With the help of agave, help yourself, leaving only the inside of the fruit for drinking.

It is cleaned, placed in a special stone cone-shaped oven and baked for several days.

Crush the fruit and bake in a VAT until you get a sticky mass. After fermentation, distillation takes place. Only once before the vocal year. As a result, the degree of resistance of the drink is significantly lower for the quality of tequila, by two times. But after switching to double distillation, the quality of both drinks is the same. After distillation mescaline alcohol diluted with water to the fortress.

Soon the conquerors efforts were crowned with success

For the production of mezcal there are four main varieties agaves: i. Tequila is produced only from the juice of blue agave meat. In most types of mezcal, add sugar, do not take tequila.

For the rest, modern technologies for preparing both drinks are identical.

Mezcal products are all over Mexico, and tequila is a local drink from the state of Jalisco, make it in a limited area. The presence of a track. Some manufacturers add it in a bottle with caterpillars, in the leaves and fruits of agave. The target of this insect, we look ahead, while we notice that tequila does not happen with caterpillars. At the bottom of some mescal bottles, a strange white worm is visible. This caterpillar butterfly is a parasite that lives in the agave.

There are two types of insect: white and red (gold).

To the most prestigious drinks, only the red caterpillar, which lives in the core of the agave, is added.

The white"worm"lives in the leaves, grows and becomes lighter, so it is not as valuable as its red"counterpart". But to determine the type of caterpillar in a bottle with a complex preparation. The fact is that under the influence of alcohol, any insect becomes colorless. This insightful corporate Scam has caught the attention of its products. After a while, other brands adopted the successful experience. First of all, the presence of a"worm"is explained by the desire to demonstrate high quality (in good alcohol, the insect does not decompose) and improve protection against forgeries.

Then he began to assign therapeutic properties, increase manhood, and communicate with the afterlife.

Seeing the success of competitors, tequila producers began to spread another myth - the"worm"causes hallucinations.

In fact, these caterpillars are completely harmless.

They especially grow on young agaves that are not treated with pesticides. So another year, in order to resist in a pure alcoholic medium, to kill pathogenic bacteria. A bottle of mezcal, with a caterpillar marked. These drinks are safe and taste no different from those where there is no"worm". Eat the caterpillar as desired. If the bug is disgusting, you can take it out with the bottles and just throw it away. The drink is served at room temperature. The culture of its use resembles alcohol. Mezcal is poured into a glass and drunk in small SIPS, trying to catch all the known taste buds. Each master makes the product unique by adding mezcal, fruit, honey and other ingredients. Thanks to this, there are more than a hundred varieties with a completely different taste. For example, in Russia, mezcal with pears is popular, the fruit is put in a whole bottle. Meals for mescaline snacks, creams, to hot sauces and spices. It goes well with grilled beef, pork, chicken, beans, potatoes, cheese and even fish. According to the Mexican tradition, after drinking from a bottle of their caterpillar of mescal time. The carcass is divided equally between all the participants of the party, it is a sign of respect for the public. Caterpillar meat is rich in protein and protein. Tequila lovers know that it goes perfectly with lime and salt. The method is called"Lekka". Turn the pack upside down."Most mescal producers take care of their customers. Because of the bottles, the bag is tied with a red powder containing salt, chili pepper and crushed dried carcasses of caterpillars. A little salt was poured on the back of the hand between the thumb and forefinger. Then a piece of lime (lemon) is taken with these fingers. First you need to lick the salt with your hands, then take a SIP of mescal and eat a piece of lime. At home, you can limit tomato juice flavored with spices. Take a SIP of mescal heap, drenched with water. A sharp mixture was found burning the throat. Addiction to taste like the original mezcal, you completely lose it. When you first encounter this extraordinary alcoholic beverage, I recommend that you try all three methods.

One of them will definitely appeal to you.

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