psycho0 Posted January 1, 2004 does anyone know if u could evapourate the alcohol off the agave drink 'Mezcal'? as it is hard to drink a fulll bottle of it! would you slowly heat it over a stove or would u put in frying pan for example and leave in the sun 4 awhile? thanx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted January 2, 2004 Is there something else in the drink that's worth saving? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted January 2, 2004 if you mean tequilla made from Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber Synonym: Agave palmaris, Agave pedrosana, Agave subtilis Family: Agavaceae then yeah, why bother? it's only the alcohol that makes it worth drinking--there's no mescalin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psycho0 Posted January 2, 2004 there IS something else in it...i think it may've been Thelema who first posted about it?? b ut there r slight 'cactus-type' effects the thing is when i did drink a bottle i unfortunately fell asleep but had some good dreams(i think i did anywa :confused: ) i was later tol,d by my bro and mother< in differen t words, that i was tripping in my sleep. i was talking and thrashing/rolling around, so i would like to further investigate the effects if anyone knows anything?Thelema?Torsten? thanx:) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted January 2, 2004 On the subject of Agave....is it just the worm soaking up all that alcohol,or is there more to the worm? I (vaguely) remember eating like 7 in shots one night....MAN was I smashed! BTW the Agave cactus is aka 'Century Plant',is this right?'Cause there's quite a few around this area if anyone has a recipe!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted January 2, 2004 mescalito: On the subject of Agave....is it just the worm soaking up all that alcohol,or is there more to the worm? From what I heard the worm is a more recent thing and its just added to freak out the gringos (keep in mind I heard it from a second hand source- but it still makes sense, right?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mesq Posted January 3, 2004 There is generally nothing else in Mezcal alcohol from the Agave cactus. The worm is just a marketing gimmick.. The worm has no effects when eaten alone.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted January 3, 2004 I am not aware of any additional effects from the agave, but that does not mean that there isn't. I guess this experiment would be one way to find out. I do know that the worm is a marketing ploy though and is NOT traditional. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted January 3, 2004 ok tequilla is 1 thing--made only from the blue webbers agave, grown in one ov the licensed tequilla growing states.--that's Mexican law. mezcal is another thing---it can be made w/any agave--though it's usually the blue one, but it's made w/agave that grow outside ov the licensed areas. both tequilla & mezcal are usually made from just one source ov agave--like a single malt, & they are usually smooth drinking--especially the blue coloured tequilla or mezcal. the stuff w/the worm is like a blended whisky--cheap & nasty. fine Mezcal here [ 03. January 2004, 04:01: Message edited by: nabraxas ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smogs Posted January 3, 2004 the worm is a gimick but comes from tradition i think but not putting it in the bottle... red worms were ground up to make worm salt... and thats what your sposed to lick (as opposed to table salt) well thats what i saw on TV once heh heh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted January 3, 2004 there is another reason for the "worm" which is a catapillar in reality. once the the alcohol got distilled, water gets added. the worm is a safe guard for high alcohol content. low alcohol content: and the worm will die slowly in the bottle and extrude a milky sap, showing to the buyer its crap tequilla. high alcohol content: worm dies imidiately without any excretation and such showing to the buyer- this is the good stuff! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoodoo Posted January 3, 2004 There seems to be a different buzz from Tequila than most other forms of alcohol. I'd say it makes a lot of people crazier or wilder than most other forms of booze. Why would that be so? Some say the differences in buzz and also in degree of hangover between clear colored gin or vodka compared to the heavier colored whiskeys is in the sugar content. It may also be lesser additives that cause differences in the buzz or hangover. Wine for example, some say variation in phenols are the cause. With Tequila, the very expensive top shelf Herradura brand was famous for being the trippiest, and seemed to be speedy at least if not trippy. On the bottle the company stated that it was uniquely from a special strain of Blue Agave from only one region in Mexico. Agave is distilled in at least three purity levels, with Tequila the purest, then Mezcal and thirdly a very raw form, with low alcohol, in a way a beer-like beverage, called Pulque (spelling?). Pulque is not exported as I've heard it goes bad after a few days. I also hear the bars that serve it have quite a wild crowd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thelema Posted January 4, 2004 OK so tequila has to contain 51% or higher of agave under mexican law. Mezcal, similar law, but freedom to choose many more plant types. None of this makes any difference to us, as the only stuff youll get in australia, mezcal or tequila, is 100% agave. Yes I do believe there is something in there. Very interested to hear your results. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest electro Posted January 9, 2004 psycho if you want tequila without the alcohol go to the beer brewing shop and buy some tequila flavour they have for their nz customers who distill their own alcohol and make tequila by adding water. cost $7.50 you could leave your bottle of mezcal sitting in a pyrex baking dish for days to evaporate, but that would be a very big waste. Dont heat it, the vapours ould well blow up if there are any sparks (fridge compressor) flames (smoking, gas stove) etc around Re tequila and the worm ... when i was younger i went over to mexico with my parents... parents were curious and asked the locals... The answer we got was that the worm that used to be in there was a catapillar that fed on agave cactus.They didnt know why it used to be there... Nowdays though, the worm is a marketing gimic and is really a meal worm, same as i feed my frog (from pet stores .. $3 for 30 of them) ... [ 09. January 2004, 04:29: Message edited by: electro ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smogs Posted January 9, 2004 you dont need to keep forking out money for them u just have a few in a ice cream container 1/2 full of oats and they love it. you will never need to buy them again heh heh i used to feed em to my axalottles (spelling?) the beetles dont even fly much from memory... but u keep it closed and no problem just top up the oats when low Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest electro Posted January 9, 2004 yup havent bought them in 3 years also add half a potato every now and then. they will lay their eggs in it so dont throw it away ... i think they like the liquid in it. (thanks for letting me know though - it would be costly if i hadnt found that out along the way ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skulking Lurker Posted January 10, 2004 It's amazing how many people have told me, with great authority(?!), that the grub contains concentrated alcohol. When I explain in simple terms that, even if the grub was 100% alcohol, it'd contain way less alcohol than a middie of full stength beer, it finally hits home that it must be an urban myth. However, I'm still unsure whether or not the grub feeds upon cactus. If it does, could it build up a store of 'actives' ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skulking Lurker Posted January 10, 2004 ie. During it's life's course of cactus consumption. Even still, it'd be unlikely to consume enough. And then, the alcohol would seep it thru the entire bottle's volume. A plausible placebo effect is all I could see it being for most people, with the idea of downing a grub after a bottle of grog having some psychological significance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thelema Posted January 10, 2004 electro, that would only make sense if the tequila flavouring was residual sugars and flavours from evaporated tequila in the first place. Since I doubt this is the case, and more likely to be artificial flavouring, if your intent was to investigate possible alkaloids in dehydrated mezcal residues, then buying tequila flavouring such as you describe would NOT be akin to buying your own mezcal and dehydrating it. SL, I agree with you about the grub. The urban myth is that the grub is responsible for the "magic". Of course, once this myth is dispensed with, the question still remains: WHAT is responsible for the magic? Something in the cactus, is my guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skulking Lurker Posted January 10, 2004 What are the documented levels of 'good stuff' allegedly contained within the various species used for the different brands/classes of the said elixir ? I've yet to find out. Could it be perhaps that any actives find themselves in concentrations high enough for subtle effect, from the process of combination, manufacture and distillation ? Or maybe a simple secret 'end of the line' addition before bottling ? hmmm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John_Barleycorn Posted January 10, 2004 If there are any psychoactive alkaloids in Agave's, then it seems to me that pulque would be the way to go. Fermentations are acidic, so the alkaloids will form salts and would most likely not distill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest electro Posted January 10, 2004 thel, that is true .. if the flavouring is artificial rather than concentrated flavouring then my suggestion would be pointless. i was just trying to offer cheaper suggestions. IF LEGAL where you are - Maybe distill off the alcohol first so that it isnt wasted ? (that way you can remake tequila with the above mentioned flavourings). I just hate solvents being evaped rather than reused - especially when it's ethanol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoodoo Posted January 10, 2004 These are nice articles along with a few quotes from them. Further below from pubmed: Agave pharmacology; steroidal saponins, adenosine. "What is Pulque?" "The drink is often considered a mythic aphrodisiac. The name Tlyaol is given to a good strain that makes one particularly virile. Pulque is frequently the potion of choice used by women during menstruation and lactation. the drink is at least 2,000 years old. It is the sap, called aguamiel or honey water, that becomes pulque through a natural fermentation process which can occur within the plant, but usually takes place at a "Tinacal" (place of production)." http://www.mezcal.com/pulque.html "THE STORY OF PULQUE (or MAYAN MADNESS!)" "Pulque, a fermented beverage derived from juice of the maguey (agave) was the historical predecessor of mescal and tequila which wielded a heavy sociological influence during both Pre-Hispanic and Colonial periods of Mexican history. " http://www.tequilamescal.com/pulque.htm Pubmed: 1. Steroidal saponins in Agave: Planta Med. 1997 Jun;63(3):199-202. Related Articles, Links 2. Anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous extracts and steroidal sapogenins of Agave americana. Peana AT, Moretti MD, Manconi V, Desole G, Pippia P. 3. Ashton AR, Polya GM. Related Articles, Links Adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate in higher plants: Isolation and characterization of adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate from Kalanchoe and Agave. Biochem J. 1977 Jul 1;165(1):27-32. PMID: 196595 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] [ 10. January 2004, 16:17: Message edited by: hoodoo ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
