· You might not have noticed, but at least one of our interns is crazy about Cantina Dos Segundos. Not to beat a dead caballo here, but Craig LaBan reminds us of another reason to love them, pointing to their pretty decent offering of mezcal. Many places, if they carry any at all, have the sort of Cuervo of mezcals, Monte Alban. It’s the one you’ll probably find at your standard liquor store, in a textured bottle with a bright yellow label with simple red and black lettering and a tiny red sunburst. It has a grub usually around and inch-and-a-half long and a packet of “secret spice” you’re supposed to lick before a shot. It’s… not very good. But the mezcal offered at Segundos is fucking great, albeit a little pricey at around $15-$40 per shot. But they do offfer a three-shot selection for $20, and if you’re adventurous you could try a shot of Pechuga brand, which somehow involves a whole chicken breast in the distilling. If you aren’t familiar with mezcal, it’s almost to tequila what scotch is to Irish; more robust and earthy with a deep, lingering character. LaBan describes his favorite, Chichicapa, as “fiery, fruit-tinged liquid bacon.” [Inky]
· Greensgrow Farms is teaming with InLiquid to present A Very Kensington Christmas. The self-described “bizarre Christmas affair” will run for three days in the middle of December and feature a market of local art, crafts,and holiday decorations in addition to Greensgrow’s signature local plants and natural products. Prepared food and drink will be available, too. Info:
A Very Kensington Christmas, December 13, 14, and 20, 2008; 1pm-6pm. Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St. 215-427-2702.
· For those of us nostalgic for the days of waking up with Ma ‘n’ Pa to open the daily cardboard door to reveal the wonders of incredibly shitty chocolate, Joe Sixpack is putting together an advent calendar of sorts. He’ll count down his 25 favorite beers of the holiday season each day until Christmas. Not to spoil the er, excitement, but you, our loyal readers, should already know his favorite. And if you’re dying to know the rest you could always go to Barnes & Noble and read the book in like 20 minutes. [JoeSixpack]
If you’re grossed out by chicken liver used in the Mezcal distilling, wait to hear about what is generally put in Mezcal bottles: glass decorative elements, scorpions… or and that’s what made Mezcal world-famous: a worm!
The “worm” (sometimes more than one) commonly seen in bottles of mezcal is actually the larva of one of two kinds of insects. The most common type is that of the agave snout weevil. The “red worm” or “gusano rojo” is the caterpillar of the Hypopta agavis moth, one of the several kinds of “maguey worm”, found on the agave plant. (Agave worms are sometimes found in the piña after harvesting). Many brands contain such worms. Some are named after the worm itself, as in Gusano Rojo and some are even named for the number of worms, e.g. Dos Gusanos, “Two Worms”. Inside the mezcal, however, the worm is more a marketing substance, as it has lost its nutrients inside the bottle.
Isn’t there some urban legend about “eating the worm” for hallucinogenic properties? My guess is it’s entirely urban legend and more a joke about whoever drank their way through a bottle of mezcal to get to the worm in one sitting is going to be a mess.