Demystified » Tequila » Ingredients / How it's made

Tequila can be made only from the `Weber blue agave' grown in a specific, government designated area of Mexico, and must conform to strict government quality controls.

Tequila undergoes two distillations in pot stills (which allows it to retain the distinctive taste of the agave), is filtered through charcoal, and then bottled or aged for one to seven years. Though Mexican law stipulates that tequila must contain at least 51% blue agave, most premium, high value brands use 100% blue and say so on the bottles.

But what about the worm? Actually you'll find the worm in `mescal' - another Mexican spirit similar to tequila. Mescal is not subject to the controls and restrictions that tequila is and can be distilled from all varieties of the agave cactus. The mescal worm is harmless and, despite innuendoes to the contrary, does not contain hallucinogens. Initially, burying the worm in the liquor seemed the natural thing to do (it spends its entire life in the agave). Today, it is just another sales gimmick.