I won ¥1 million last week, betting on the botanical classification of the blue agave — the key ingredient of tequila. Early on Thursday morning in a Roppongi bar, an overconfident drinker called the plant a cactus; my money said lily.
The foot-high spiky succulent sure looks like a cactus, and several tequila brands exploit the misconception by printing cactuses on their labels. But it's from the liliopsida class, making it a cousin of the lily.
The cactus juice fallacy is one of myriad misconceptions that dog Mexico's most famous export. Other classics include: