One of the two grandfathers of mezcal, Gusano Rojo was
created by Jacobo Lozano Páez in 1950, five years after Mezcal Monte Alban pioneered
the mezcal industry. Gusano Rojo (“red worm”) was the first mezcal with a worm
at the bottom of each bottle. This was not based on Mexican tradition, but was
simply a marketing technique that paid off very well – it remains the most
popular mezcal in Mexico, and is also big in the United States due to its low
price.
Made from espadin agave in
Oaxaca, Gusano Rojo remains a family-owned mezcal made in the traditional
artisanal way. I have read comments that it is made industrially in huge vats,
but that’s not the story on the company’s Website. From the taste, this issue
remains cloudy in my mind.
The Taste of Gusano Rojo
Sporting the
robust flavor of day-old licorice and charcoal, Gusano Rojo warms you up
physically after two shots. Another shot, and it lifts your spirits like an
Apache helicopter with Hellfire missiles locked and loaded.
If James
Bond said “Mezcal -- oily, not smooth.” to the bartender in a Mexican
mezcaleria, he probably would be served a shot of Gusano Rojo. It hits the back
of the throat, not the roof of your mouth the way a refined mezcal does. Still,
it’s not unpleasant, price considered. Best served with worm salt and a slice
of orange, this hooch you want to knock back like tequila, not sip like the
good stuff.
The grade of
mezcal you would expect to find in a Tarantino bar scene, Gusano Rojo is a cut
above other joven mezcals in the under $50 range. But it is the
only mezcal so far that led to a headache even before the end of the night, so
proceed with caution.
Price: $15-28
Proof: 76
No comments:
Post a Comment