Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

6 Drinking & Nightlife At the end of the working day, İstanbullus love nothing more than heading to a fashionable bar, convivial cafe or atmospheric çay bahçesi (tea garden) to catch up with friends and agree on which of the city’s many clubs or live music venues they will kick on to later in the evening. Nonalcoholic Drinks Drinking çay (tea) is the national pastime. Sugar cubes are the only accompaniment and they’re needed to counter the effects of long brewing. No self-respecting Turk would dream of drinking elma çay , the sweet ‘apple tea’ made from chemicals that is offered to many tourists. Surprisingly, Türk kahve (Turkish coffee) isn’t widely consumed. A thick and powerful brew, it’s drunk in a couple of short sips. If you order a cup, you will be asked how sweet you like it – çok şekerli means ‘very sweet’; orta şekerli , ‘middling’; az şekerli , ‘slightly sweet’ and şekersiz or sade, ‘not at all’. Freshly squeezed portakal suyu (orange juice) and nar suyu (pomegranate juice) are extremely popular drinks. In kebapçıs (kebap restaurants) patrons often drink ayran (a refreshing yogurt drink made by whipping yogurt with water and salt) or şalgam suyu (sour turnip juice). If you’re here during winter, you should try delicious and unusual sahlep, a hot drink made from crushed orchid-root extract. Alcoholic Drinks Turkey’s most beloved tipple is rakı, a grape spirit infused with aniseed. Similar to Greek ouzo, it’s served in long thin glasses and is drunk neat or with water, which turns the clear liquid chalky white. If you want to add ice (buz), do so after adding water, as dropping ice straight into rakı kills its flavour.