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This is how he got the idea for a distinctive marketing approach, adding a worm to the bottle. He also
included a small sack with salt, seasoned with the same dehydrated and ground worms, and tied this
to the bottle. Unfortunately for Jacobo other producers recognised this as a great marketing idea and
a worm is now added to most cheaper Mezcals. Most premium Mezcal distillers don't put a worm in
the bottle. A number of Mezcal producers also include a seasoned salt sack. Adding a worm is very
much an export oriented ploy though as Mexicans don't usually drink Mezcal with a worm, and
homebrew or local Mezcals rarely include one.

An urban myth suggests the gusano is an aphrodisiac. Some producers claim the gusano adds
flavour to the Mezcal, others argue it detracts from the Mezcal's taste. Mezcals destined for the North
American market generally have a single worm, Mezcals for the Asian market may have as many as
five, one for each drinker. The Japanese are among the Mezcaleros' best customers.

There are two different types of worm in Mezcal - red (rojo - considered superior because it lives in
the root and heart of the maguey - colloquially known as the chinicuil) and the less-prized white or
gold (gusano de oro), which lives on the leaves. The red gusano turns pale in the Mezcal, the gold
turns ashen-grey. The protein-rich gusano is considered a delicacy in many Oaxaqueño recipes and
have been sold in Zapotec markets since pre-Columbian times. (see, the locals like their worms on
the side!)

Most of the worms are collected from wild plants by Zapotec Indians, who sell
them to the distillers.

There appears to be a number of different ways to prepare the worms. One
method takes the small (about 25mm long) gusanos, cleans them, then soaks
them in a vat of water for a year. Another method soaks the worms in Mezcal,
which additionally cleanses them of any materials and waxes that might affect
the Mezcal's flavour. Some producers harvest the worms in the rainy season
from the common pulque agave. They are then washed and cured in a
solution of 47% alcohol to leach out natural fats, which moderates their taste.

In 1995, some Mezcal producers began a movement to ban the worm, but
others rejected the idea, worried that North American buyers would miss it. They feared that the

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