“All this history, I didn’t want it to die,” David said. “I wanted to bring it to the world.” Nahmias et Fils makes Mahia from a recipe passed on from his (800) BEERCUP • BEERCUP.COM grandmother: dried figs, water, some yeast, and a little bit of fresh anise seed for flavor. YOUR SOURCE FOR BARWARE & CUSTOM DECORATED PRODUCT They get their figs shipped in from Fresno, California. The figs “Time and resources are a challenge I’ve seen many are crushed with water three times and then a little bit of yeast clients struggle with. I’m here to help eliminate is added. The mash then sits in containers for two weeks, while it those burdens.” ferments. It’s then pumped into the still with a little bit of fresh anise seed. Eight hours later, after the distilling process has run its course and they’ve made the appropriate cuts for heads, hearts, and tails, what’s left is 165 proof Mahia. David then blends in a measured amount of water to bring it down to 80 proof, before finally bottling it. Each mash contains about 450 pounds of figs, which make MEET SAM between 60 to 70 750-milliliter bottles of Mahia. That comes out KEY ACCOUNT to six to seven pounds of figs per bottle, and they don’t add sugar REPRESENTATIVE or additional chemicals. Her favorite cocktail? “If you eat clean food, you won’t have so many issues,” David said. “Vodka seltzer with a lime” “The same applies to alcohol. We always say, ‘drink clean.’” One lesson they’ve learned is how much the quality of the figs count. When they first started, the quality of the figs they received, C A L L ( 80 0 ) B E E R C U P T O D AY O R V I S I T “wasn’t great,” and the Mahia wasn’t to their liking. Now they make TA P.B E E R C U P.C O M /A R T I S A N T O L E A R N M O R E . sure that the figs they receive are ripe and sweet. “The more you pay attention to details, the better the product,” David said. “You have to take the extra steps.” Nahmias et Fils is the sole producer of Mahia in the country,Sam_Ad_ and QtrPage.indd 1 10/24/17 David sees it as not just a way to spread his passion but also to pay homage to his mother—a lifelong Mahia maker who passed away in 2009—and, by extension, his family’s history. Along with Mahia, they also make whiskey, which they call Legs Diamond for a famed Prohibition-era New York bootlegger, with apples sourced from organic grain farmers in Upstate New York. Legs Diamond is made from 100 percent organic rye. They sell Mahia and Legs Diamond at farmers’ markets in New York and supply many restaurants and wine and spirits stores in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. They also supply Mahia to the Moroccan Pavilion at Epcot Center in Disney World in Florida. While Mahia is traditionally drunk straight, Nahmias et Fils promotes the alcohol as something that can be used in mixed drinks, particularly cocktails with citrus. They promote a list of recipes on their website. “There’s an increasing demand, which means it’s harder to supply,” David said. They’re now putting together a business plan for investors so they can expand the business and produce more Mahia. Their goal is to one day make Mahia a household name
Nahmias Et Fils is located in Yonkers, NY. For more information visit www.nahmiasetfils.com or call (646) 644-4256. WWW.ARTISANSPIRITMAG.COM
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