It’s a clarion call, a long blast from a ram’s horn, and a summons to action. It reminds the listeners of the power of community, and for Greg Sobol, it’s a reason to celebrate that community. The tekiah is a blast from the shofar in Jewish ceremonies, and it’s also the name of Sobol’s brand of spirits, starting with Tekiah tequila.
Sobol hopes that the brand “respects, honors, and pays homage” to both sides of his identity — as a Jewish man from West Bloomfield but also as the son of a Jewish Mexican mother whose family has deep ties in Mexico.
Sobol says his rabbi’s frequent toast — “l’chaim,” to life — inspired him to look for an additive-free tequila that was also kosher. He was looking for “the Manischewitz of tequila, but tasty,” he says. But after asking around, he wasn’t able to find any that followed the global standard for kosher certification. So he set out to do it himself and founded Tekiah as a fully kosher tequila, after undergoing the rigorous review process required for certification by the Orthodox Union Kosher certification agency.
Although the basic process of tequila distillation from roasted agave isn’t against kosher laws, there are restrictions on what type of vessel tequila may be aged in.
Certain kinds of wine barrels may not follow kosher requirements, so Sobol uses American white oak for the reposado aging. Many larger-scale tequila producers add sugar and colorings to speed along the traditionally slow process of agave distilling, but by following kosher regulations, Sobol is committed to keeping his spirits additive-free.
Sobol works with Destiladora de Tequila Marava, a small family-owned distillery in Michoacán, one of the five states in Mexico that are legally permitted to call their products tequila. The deep valley well water and volcanic soil there lend a clear and almost effervescent minerality to the tequila.
“This isn’t a spring break tequila,” Sobol says. It is, however, “a tequila that people who don’t drink tequila will enjoy.” In his journey to find his ideal tequila, Sobol says he must have tasted more than 50 different brands. “I was obsessed with it,” he says. “I couldn’t stop. I needed to learn all about this.”
Most tequilas are produced in Jalisco, the state just north of Michoacán. “Not too many brands use Michoacán agave, so it gives it a really unique flavor profile, and that’s what I like,” Sobol says. Both the blanco and reposado tequilas have a citrusy and floral note that comes from the many fruit trees growing near the agave.The reposado has an additional spiced toffee sweetness from its aging in oak barrels.
For Sobol, it’s about more than just the flavor. Because his mother was born and raised in Mexico, he finds deep connections with his extended family and new friends there.
“I’m doing it to do something great for them and for the tequila producers,” he
says, to honor “the history and the heritage they have with it. It becomes about our community, our culture, and the celebration, finding those good things and
binding us together.”
This story originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on May 5.
|
|
|
|
|
|
