Moroccan Mahia seduces the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the drinks offering is expanding with the market launch of a Moroccan-inspired spirit.

Omar Oualili, a Moroccan residing in the United Kingdom, has launched Sahara, a reimagined Mahia, into the British drinks market. Traditionally made from figs or dates and infused with anise, Mahia (water of life, in Darija) is historically associated with the Jewish communities of Morocco. But its production has declined considerably in recent years. Omar sees this as an opportunity for him to share Mahia’s story with a global audience, reviving the spirit and adapting it to contemporary tastes. “With fewer Jewish families in Morocco, Mahia production declined. In recent years, the mind has become rare to find, or worse, entangled in informal productions,” he explained to the site the drinks trade.