While many of you may have sworn off margaritas after an epic Cinco de Mayo, we could drink tequila every damn day — even when our cocktail has bugs in it.
If tequila makes you gag, get ready to really test your stomach. (Also, stop drinking cheap tequila!) This margarita from Eat Grub, a United Kingdom-based company making ready-to-nosh food out of insects, replaces your standard salt rim with ground mealworms.
After all, the some mezcals boast gusanos at the bottom and scorpion vodka is, well, a thing.
To appreciate a mealworm margarita , you’ve got to move away from thinking of insects only in terms of gross reality TV shows and seven-year-old dares. Adding bugs to your everyday meals is a healthy, sustainable source of protein and other nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and fiber. On top of that, their arming footprint is light-years better for the environment than traditional animal farming.
So, do you dare drink this mealworm margarita? (Remember it only counts if there are pictures. Tag @TheManualGuide so we know it’s real.)
Mealworm Margarita
- 1.25 fl oz tequila
- 1 tbsp triple sec
- 4 tsp lime juice, plus a lime wedge
- Splash of sugar syrup
- Mealworms
- Salt
Method: First, make the salt. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the mealworms down and then add the sea salt. Continue to grind until it is a powder. The ratio should be 3 parts mealworms to 1 part salt. Spread the mealworm salt out on a plate. Rub the outside of your glass with the lime wedge to help the salt stick, then tap the rim in the salt until there is a good coating on the outside. To make the sugar syrup, bring equal quantities of sugar and water to the boil in a heavy-based pan until the sugar has dissolved. Then take off the heat and allow to cool. Shake ingredients over crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Serve in the salt-rimmed glass on the rocks or straight up.
