He’s Bringing His Expertise (but Not Bottles) to Museum

The first thing John Bragg ever collected was rocks. But that’s not the subject of his lecture tonight, which was organized by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

Nope. Instead museum officials were more interested in the 66-year-old’s 427 different bottles of tequila. It’s probably the world’s largest collection of North America’s first distilled spirit.

Bragg has left his bottles south of the border at Pancho’s, his restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, but he does bring his extensive knowledge of tequila’s production and history with him. And luckily, guests will be able to sample the lecture materials by imbibing in at least three varieties of Herradura: Selecta, Supreme and Anejo. Like champagne, true tequila is only produced in a specific region of its home country--fields of agave that are within 100 miles of Guadalajara.

Two decades ago, Bragg and his wife, Mary, fled the smog and crime of the San Fernando Valley for a restful retirement in Mexico. Somehow, years later, with no prior experience, they ended up running a restaurant. And, shortly thereafter, a tequila collection was born.

Question: How did your collection start?

Answer: I’d never owned a restaurant and I started buying things including 20 tequila bottles. I put them up on a wall and someone commented on it. So I bought 20 more bottles. Then, a clipping appeared in a newspaper about it and then I decided I was going to collect a whole bunch.

Q: How long did it take you to get more than 400 bottles?

A: We passed that mark this year. A majority of the bottles have been opened and you can buy a shot for anywhere between 50 cents and $65. The collection’s been appraised at around $400,000.

Q: What’s the hardest part about collecting?

A: The travel. Out of all the tequila, only 10 or 15 were brought to me. You’d have to be on the road--and know where to go--a solid year before you could ever get this many different bottles.

Q: How did salt and lime get associated with tequila?

A: It started about 100 years ago when tequila was really substandard. They’d help you get past the bad taste. The idea was the salt would make you salivate and protect your tongue and throat. Then, you’d crunch the lime in your teeth to cover up the taste.

Q: When did worms start appearing in tequila?

A: A lot of people have the idea that tequila has a worm in it, but that’s wrong. Tequila has never had a worm. The worms are in mescal. It’s a cousin to tequila. Like brandy and cognac.

Q: A jar of tequila at your restaurant does contain something bigger than a worm. What is it?

A: There’s a large pickle jar with a rattlesnake in it. According to tradition in northern Mexico, if you drink a shot of tequila with a rattlesnake soaking in it, it’s good for arthritis. We sell about 50 or 60 liters a year. Primarily to college students.

Q: Are there other stories of tequila’s beneficial effects?

A: At the turn of the century, doctors were trying anything to find a cure for a horrible outbreak of the Spanish flu, which killed many of those that got it. One of the treatments was a medicinal drink of lime juice, salt and tequila. Doctors met to evaluate the treatments. They concluded [it] didn’t cure influenza, but made those who took it feel better.

BE THERE

John Bragg’s lecture and tequila tasting runs from 5:30 to 8 tonight at Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Advance tickets are $10 for museum members, $12 for nonmembers. All tickets at the door are $15. Must be 21 years old to participate. Call (213) 763-3534.