The history of *aragh sagi*—a potent raisin distillate whose name translates to “dog’s distillate”—is a 700-year-old narrative of endurance. Once a staple of Iranian social life, the spirit was driven into the shadows following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent prohibition of alcohol. For decades, it has existed primarily as a homemade bootleg, a memory of a secular past preserved in private kitchens and the underground market.
Now, that tradition is being formalized thousands of miles from Tehran. In Yonkers, New York, a craft distillery has launched SAG, a commercially produced version of the spirit. It represents a rare instance of an ancient Persian beverage being adapted for the modern global market; it is currently the only aragh sagi manufactured in the United States and one of the very few produced commercially anywhere in the world.
The revival of the spirit in New York is more than a commercial venture; it is an act of cultural translation. By utilizing traditional distillation methods and raisin bases, the project brings a forbidden heritage into the light for the Iranian diaspora and a broader audience of spirits enthusiasts. It reflects a recurring phenomenon in the global economy: when political constraints stifle a tradition in its homeland, the diaspora often becomes the steward of its evolution.
With reporting from Exame Inovação.
Source · Exame Inovação
