Water and Soft Drinks – Because Turkey has an abundant supply of fresh water, the tap

water in Turkey is safe to drink.  However, virtually everyone, including locals, drinks

bottled water (su in Turkish), either with or without gas (mineral water in Turkish is soda

or maden suyu).  Coca Cola, Diet Coke and other bottled and canned beverages are

also plentiful.  My favorite drink in Turkey is called Cappy Vişne Suyu (pronounced

Kappee Vishnay), a sour cherry juice.

Ayran – Ayran is a drink that is commonly served with kebab.  It consists of yogurt

mixed with spring water. It is an acquired taste.

Beer – The principal beer of choice in Turkey is Efes (which means Ephesus in

Turkish).  Efes is a good lager beer and is plentiful.  Recently, Efes introduced a dark

beer, which is a nice change of pace, and they also produce Efes Light.

Wine – Turkey has some very good wine growing areas and consequently Turkish wine

is plentiful and inexpensive (Wine in Turkish is Şarap, pronounced Sharap).  The largest

wineries in Turkey are Doluca and Kavaklidere.  Until recently, it was best to stick to

Turkish white wines (beyaz), as the Turkish red (Kırmızı) wines were mediocre at best.

For good white wine that are moderately priced I recommend the Kavaklidere Selection

or any of the Çankaya wines.

Kavaklidere, Doluca and Sarafin, a new winery, are now producing some very good red

varietal wines.  Although generally found in more expensive restaurants, if you can find

them you should try the Sarafin Cabernet Sauvignon, the Kavaklidere Ozel Kırmızi,

Kaleçık Karası and Doluca Kav.  If you want to buy some wine to bring home with you, I

recommend purchasing it at the airport in Istanbul as you depart for home.  There is an

excellent wine shop located in the duty free area of the international terminal (after

passport control).

Rakı – The alcohol of choice for Turkish men is Rakı.  Rakı is a clear aniseed drink

similar to Greek Ouzo.  It is served in a tall glass and should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio with

water and a few ice cubes if you desire.  When the clear liquid is mixed with water it

turns white.  Rakı is affectionately known as "lion's milk".  After one drink you will know

why.  Beware -- Rakı goes down very easily.

Tea and Coffee – There are two hot drinks of choice, Turkish coffee (Turkçe Kahvesi)

and tea (Çay, pronounced chay).  Turkish coffee is served in small cups similar to

espresso cups, but it is a bit more bitter and grittier than espresso.  If you order Turkish

coffee you must specify how much sugar you want.  Orta is the term for medium sugar

and Sade (pronounced saday) is the term for no sugar.

While Turkish Coffee is world famous, tea is Turkey's national drink and is

the drink of choice during most of the day.  Turkey has a rich tea culture.  Since the first

tea seeds were planted in the Black Sea region in 1917, Turkey has become the world's

fifth-largest tea-producing country and the highest in per capita consumption.  Tea is

served all day long and is available everywhere, including the ferryboats.  Tea is

typically served in small, clear, tulip-shaped glasses (be careful, you can easily burn

your fingers) with sugar cubes provided on the side.  It is very common to enjoy tea with

a Simit, a round, sesame-encrusted bread.  Simit's are available from street vendors

(for less than 25 cents each) and make a great snack.

The tea man is an institution in Turkey.  Turkish workers drink tea all day

long and nearly all companies and government offices have personnel dedicated to

serving tea and coffee to the workers.  The following story demonstrates the importance

of the tea man in Turkey:

A lion escaped from the zoo in Ankara, Turkey's capital city.  It  found its way to the offices

downtown and hid in the basement of a  government building, surviving on eating

bureaucrats and even  high level ministers of state.  Nobody cared until the lion ate the tea

man.  That was the last straw -- the people then rose up and  formed a posse to capture the lion.

There are other types of tea available in Turkey, including Apple Tea (Elma

Çay) and Rosehip tea (pronounced "Kushburnu" in Turkish).  Rosehip tea is supposed

to be good for you when you are sick.  Apple Tea is consumed by tourists, not locals.

A friend of mine, Pelin Aylangan, is now writing a book about the role of tea

in Turkish culture.  She was recently quoted in the December 2003 issue of National

Geographic, which mentioned Turkey’s new spot as the world's top consumer of tea,

surpassing Great Britain.  Pelin quoted the Turkish saying that “Conversations without

tea are like a night sky without the moon.”

(djacobsonlaw.com)