Tequila & Worms

There is no worm in Mexican-bottled tequila!. Yes, some American-bottled brand(s) put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it’s only a marketing ploy and not a Mexican tradition. There is a worm – called a gusano, a butterfly caterpillar (Hipopta Agavis) – in some types of mezcal (but not all). You may also get a small bag of ‘worm salt’ – dried gusano, salt and chile powder tied to a mezcal bottle.