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Posted 20 hours ago

Monte Alban Mezcal, 70cl

£15.3£30.60Clearance
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Which can be difficult, especially in the UK where good mezcal is either non existent or vastly overpriced. But don’t worry, you can still buy good mezcal at a reasonable price here in the UK. You may of already heard that tequila has to be made in Mexico and is made from the fermenting of agave and distilling of that liquid. But that’s not completely accurate, because there's a bunch of Mexican spirits that follow that same guideline. There are always exceptions to the rule and few brands produce with quality, add worms with the singular reason of enhancing their Mezcales with an earthy and fungal vibe. Our personal recommendations are El Cortijo reposado con gusano and Wahaka reposado con gusano. They are aged in oak barrels and the worm intensifies their aromatic profile. That oak profile makes those Mezcales specifically suited for the worm. You should definitely give them an opportunity and if you have tasted other really good Mezcales with worms, let us know. So, if you have already bought a bottle of Mezcal with a worm or you are in a party and someone insists you drink it, you may consider these 3 tips: When you think of Mezcal what probably appears in your mind is a bottle with a red worm inside and you think about a challenge of «drinking a strong liquor with an insect». What you drank was most likely Mezcal with doubtful quality and it affects the reputation of authentic mezcal.

To begin with, the Mezcal worms are caterpillars and they are a plague of the agave. They may be white ( Meocuilines) or red ( Chinicuilies), and both are an ancient food and taste good. Usually, Meocuilines are cooked in exotic dishes and Chinicuiles are added to Mezcal or mixed with salt (called Sal de Gusano). Origin of Mezcal with worm. Basically if you only have enough agave to create 100 bottles of tequila, why not half that and top it up with cheap sugar to double your yield. I strongly believe that when people understand what tequila is and how its made, they can begin seeing tequila in another light, how its meant to be and fully start to enjoy and appreciate it for what it really is. What is Tequila They are also environmentally friendly, they plant 10 new agave plants for every 1 they harvest and invest 10% of there profits into ecological and social sustainability programmesAnother mention about the worm is in Sara Bowen’s research « Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production«. She points out the Mezcal brand Gusano Rojo (Red worm) who initiated the adding of worms to Mezcal, when in 1950 a employee got the idea to drop a worm into each bottle as a «distinctive touch». During that time I had a lot of recurring questions on the infamous worm. Is it alive? Why is it there? Does it taste of anything? Etc . And so I’ve answered those questions as well as a few more popular concerns below. Tequila is a distilled Mexican spirit made from the fermentation of sugars found in Blue Weber agave. The history of Tequila Remember that it is not the authentic Mezcal: the worm adds flavor and usually it masks lousy flavors.

However, Tequila is more than just a party drink, its full of history, tradition and flavour. This association as a party drink is something that westerners very much have created themselves. In the same way, Tom Bullok explains in his book “The Mezcal experience” that Monte Alban Mezcal followed Gusano Rojo with its worm practice and maintained a prolonged advertising campaign in Playboy issues during the 1970s. It cemented the idea in the male western mind that Mezcal with a worm was in fact, the real Mezcal.Everyone old enough to drink has a Tequila story. Whether its good or bad, about yourself or someone else, Tequila is without a doubt a memory making spirit. Eating the worm has neither hallucinogenic nor aphrodisiac effects: but, if you have finished the entire Mezcal bottle to get the worm out and eat it, you are most likely unable to behave appropriately by this point. Tequila can either be made in small batches or mass-produced, whereas mezcal is made on a much smaller scale with a traditional process.

Also referred to as rested, reposado Tequila is aged from two months to just shy of a year. Which imparts a slight colour and softens the harshness of the tequila. Although on the surface they seem very similar, they are quite different. For one Mezcal can be made with a variety of 25 different agave species, while Tequila has to be made with a certain species of agave. Which technically means - All Tequila is Mezcal but not all Mezcal is Tequila. Just like how all Jacuzzis are hot tubs but not all hot tubs are Jacazzis…Mezcal is traditionally from Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Michoacan. Tequila comes from the Jalisco region. 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. It’s not just a difficult process, but an expensive process. The good thing is that it ensures that what you’re drinking is true to tequila and is of high quality. I like to think of myself as the unpaid and unofficial global ambassador for all things tequila and agave even though I’m British through and through. That is the basic process of making tequila complete, however, there is a final optional step involved, Tequila can be aged in oak casks to impart some richer, woody flavours and colour which is where different styles of tequila come into play. Blanco Tequila:

I’d love to talk about and appreciate mezcal without having to mention Tequila but alas, that’s just the way it is. If you’ve read my Tequila 101 guide: Everything you need to know about Tequila’ which is structured the same as this guide just about tequila, you will now be fully understanding of both spirits. Verde Momento is a Mezcal made with 8-year-old organic espadin agave from the Oaxaca state in Mexico. The differences are the species of agave used and the production methods involved. The guide on Mezcal will give you an understanding of how that method differs from tequila production. I’ve also covered Bacanora and Raicilla in an article on agave spirits that are NOT tequila. Aged one to three years, añejos are smooth and rich, with more flavour contributions from the barrel.Answers as to why the worm is in the bottle in the first place is actually unknown, but there are stories. Some will say that the worm in the mezcal bottle is a marketing ploy. After all, think of all those myths we just had to bust to get to this point. Hallucinogen, flavor enhancer, boozy addition…the worm is none of that. But when the worm is in the bottle on a shelf, it somehow convinces people to buy that brand. Origins to why it’s there in the first place are pretty murky but there are two stories that make sense. The first of which is simply a marketing ploy. Which to be fair, works wonders. When staring unknowingly at a shelf of mezcal it can be difficult to choose one. When there's a drowned worm in the bottom of the bottle that stands out, promotes curiosity and hence makes you want to buy it.

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