Scientific inspiration can strike anywhere—even at a restaurant bar in Oaxaca, Mexico. That’s where a team of insect researchers decided to use DNA sequencing to identify what larva lurks in bottles ...

That’s what most of the world thought mezcal was a couple of decades ago, because that’s all that was available outside the rural Mexican communities where it’s made. And although “mezcal con gusano” ...

The University of Florida researchers recently discovered that “tequila worms” are, in fact, moth larvae. The “worms” are placed inside bottles of mezcal to enhance the color and flavor of the alcohol ...

Mezcal is a distilled alcohol made from the boiled and fermented sap of agave plants. Most mezcal beverages — including all brands of tequila — are sold as pure distillates, but a few have an added ...

Born of wild agave and the creatures that sustain it, sal de gusano is a traditional Mexican ingredient closely tied to mezcal production. Better known as “worm salt” in the United States, to refer to ...

University of Florida researchers recently discovered that "tequila worms" are, in fact, moth larvae. The "worms" are placed inside bottles of mezcal to enhance the color and flavor of the alcohol.

Mezcal has a terrible image. It’s fiery stuff, real rotgut, with a worm floating in the bottom of the bottle -- at least, that’s what most people think. Because mezcal sounds like mescaline, the ...

NPR's Scott Detrow talks with The Washington Post's investigative reporter Kevin Sieff about the shortening supply of agave plants in Mexico. Cocktail drinkers in the U.S. have fallen more and more in ...

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila … floor! Nothing can make a night — or a year — disappear quite like the agave-fueled Mexican liquor. Jose Cuervo is still No. 1 on the market, though Patrón ...

Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript for the best experience. The hunt for one of the world’s most precious plants begins at the base ...