Anyone tried making mahia?

[Steve Broady]

I found something with absolutely no responses when I do a Google search here! My brother in law is Moroccan, and I know various members of his family make some kind of “whiskey.” As far as I can tell, it’s a version of mahia, probably made with figs and/or dates. Unfortunately, when I was over there visiting, they wouldn’t let me try it because they didn’t think a white guy could handle it. Guess they don’t know how much moonshine comes out of the hills of North Carolina!

I’ve told him if he can get any back to the states, I want to try some! If I had to guess, I’d say it’s likely made with sugar, cut pretty wide (if at all), drank at high proof, and probably gives one hell of a hangover. Typical cheap moonshine, in other words. I’m basing that on what he’s told me about drinking it. I doubt it would be especially good, but I’d still try it. You never know, and sometimes it’s about the quality of the company, not the quality of the drink.

Anyway, all of that is a long winded way of saying I’m curious about making some of my own. I searched for mahia on here and got no responses. Figs and dates both come up, of course. I have a bottle of commercial mahia which I believe is flavored with anise. Not my favorite flavor, but it’s far better than my bottle of baijiu! Has anyone here tried making their own? Or for that matter, anyone here with any experience drinking the authentic homemade stuff in Morocco?