Merhaba Istanbul!

MERHABA ISTANBUL!

Drinking in Turkey in a nutshell

Merhaba everyone! I've come back from a one-week holiday in Istanbul, Turkey with my family! I'll start off by saying that this blog post is not really going to be about drinking or moreover, cocktails. Since such culture does not really exist in Turkey (with a few exceptions). Sure, you have your kiosks that have the culmination of western liquors ie. Jack Daniels, Chivas, J&B, Johnnie Walker (red), Jim Beam...the stuff you can get from everywhere. My safe assumption is that this stuff is for the tourists.

Then you have your raki. Like the link says, "it is an unsweetened, anise-flavored Turkish alcoholic drink that is popular in Turkey..." Since I was travelling with my wife & kid, I only had one raki (offered by our mutual friend who lives in Istanbul), a local beer Efes and a local Turkish wine Buzbaḡ with our everyday grape varieties öküzgözü and boğazkere. Gotta admit though, it was a good wine! I did buy the above-seen raki bottle; it's a small one + a bit more local than any of the commercially available/exported ones at the airport/retailers. Fair enough, I saw a 1L bottles of the same stuff at the duty free when we were leaving, but I just didn't want to get a big bottle.

Hard to pronounce, easy to drink.

But most importantly, there's çay. 

It's more than just "tea".

Çay for the Turkish people is not only tea, it is a social construction. It is drunk everywhere and anytime; part of bargaining when at a bazaar, after meals, at cafés, when socializing with people, while working...I don't think there is a situation when çay isn't appropriate! It seemed like a national pastime, sitting with people and enjoying a hot cup of strong tea from clear and small glasses with optional sugar added. This was one also one of the great things I admired in Istanbul (or Turkey in general). Not to mention the tea was good tasting!

Then there's Ayran, but I only had it a few times. I understand its meaning though, during the hot summer days it is refreshing indeed!

I didn't see nor even actively look for any cocktail place. Although alcohol is not banned per se, strick regulations (especially in the Asian side) makes is hard to find any proper bar. I've read articles about a mysterious / quite legendary cocktail bar in the Europe side, where the owner is titled as the alchemist (that's cool), but honestly speaking, I had no intention to go there during my family holiday.

Food was good, many street bars serve kebab is numerous ways with restaurants that have that western-twist to them, if any. Mostly local stuff nonetheless!

lamb kebab, ayran, ҫay

meze and aubergine with chicken inside.

cakes, cakes, cakes!!

Cakes or pasta, were incredibly cheap and delicious. These people know how to make their sweet stuff! Turkish delights, baklava and all those things just demand to be put in our pie holes! I did also have a cup of Turkish coffee, surprisingly only once. 

Less is more

We visited the Grand Bazaar once and after one hour I said "yup, that's pretty much it", although some say you could spend days strolling through the place some call a big maze. The concept of bargaining and shopkeepers trying to sell you literally anything...well, as an experience it was unique and you can't go around that. 

Traffic regulations...or their lack of. Just go with the flow, they said, it'll be fun they said! Just read here for more information about it. With the pram it sometimes lead to really...mildly put, interesting situations! 

I won't be bothering you with endless amount of pictures of what I saw and experienced there, but as a whole the experience was great. Sure, the kiddo made the whole trip different, but not in a bad way!

How the F%$k are you supposed to go through there?! Even my daughter is baffled.

So summa summarum, if I really try to squeeze in all of the information of our one-week trip to Istanbul, what could I say more? Don't except to find great cocktails in Istanbul from every corner bar (if you even find a bar :D). Istanbul is more about food, culture, the people, simits, çay, kebabs, shopping and a whole lot of traffic.

A single picture that could sum the whole thing up.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

- Augustine of Hippo