BS”D
2/3 of this story is true but dramatized – let’s see who can figure out which 2/3:
When I was in Casablanca, Morocco I wanted to try mahia (sometimes confused with arak), the local Jewish fig brandy. As Morocco is Muslim, it is usually kept behind the counter especially as the bottles have a Magen Dovid and a hechsher on them.
I went to the grocery store nearest to the shul and asked for a bottle. I was duly presented with a few different brands, all about 40% alcohol. I tried each one and frankly, they were all shvache maases with a bit of a kerosene taste.
The next morning, I went to buy some fruit at the same grocer and he asked me how I liked the mahia. I told him the truth, that I expected more alcohol and a drier taste from stories older Moroccan Jews abroad told me (the Moroccans are very respectful of Jews and truly miss those who left). He then gave me the address of an illegal home distiller whom he called ahead so that the distiller would know I was not an inspector. I bought 2 liters of his moonshine, which was supposedly 90% alcohol but did not seem that way to me.
The next morning I went back to get my breakfast of fruit, and I thanked the grocer but told him I really wanted something even stronger. He was a bit irritated but still he called yet another number and then gave me the address of this fellow written in Arabic so I could give it to the taxi driver as well as a piece of paper to hand to him.
This address turned out to be a hardware store on the other end of town. I handed the paper to the owner, and he took out a large white jug and poured part of the contents into an old glass liter Coke bottle, charging me surprisingly little for the stuff. That night I tried some and really enjoyed it. But, as you will see, I experienced an odd reaction…
So again I went to the grocer the next morning to thank him and to buy my morning fruit. This time I told him I really liked it but that I was wearing a black djellaba (native Moroccan robe similar to that which the Baba Sali ZYA wore) and apparently I was perspiring a lot all night – and when I woke up the djellaba had turned pure white!
He said: “Ah, you were the one I sent to Ahmed’s hardware store yesterday! So happy I could help – my mahia and even my friend’s mahia were not strong enough for you so I knew you would like his concentrated lemon flavor bleach!”