A Guide to Turkish Drinks: Wine, Rakı, Tea and Beyond

Turkey's drinks culture is as distinctive as its food, and it goes well beyond the endless tea. From a homegrown wine industry to the beloved national spirit, refreshing yoghurt drinks and rich coffee, there is a whole world to explore at the table. Here is a guide to Turkish drinks worth trying on the Antalya coast — and how to enjoy them responsibly.

Turkey has a long, if often overlooked, winemaking tradition, and its wines have improved greatly in recent years. Alongside international varieties, it grows distinctive native grapes — reds like Öküzgözü, Boğazkere and Kalecik Karası, and characterful whites — producing wines that pair beautifully with the local food. In the resorts and restaurants of the Antalya coast, a bottle of good Turkish wine is a lovely and often surprising discovery.

If Turkey has a national drink, it is rakı — a clear, aniseed-flavoured spirit that turns milky white when water is added, earning it the nickname "lion's milk" (aslan sütü). But rakı is less about the drink than the ritual: it is sipped slowly, diluted with water, over a long table of meze and grilled fish, in the company of friends. A rakı table (rakı sofrası) is a whole social occasion, and experiencing one is a genuine window into Turkish culture.

Not everything is alcoholic. Ayran — a cold, salted yoghurt drink — is the classic accompaniment to a kebab and wonderfully refreshing in the heat. You will also find şalgam (a tangy fermented turnip juice, often served with rakı), fresh-squeezed juices from pomegranate to orange, and cold soft drinks everywhere. These are the everyday thirst-quenchers of a hot coast.

Turkish lager is widely available and pairs well with a seafront evening. But the true everyday drinks remain the non-alcoholic ones: black tea (çay) served in tulip glasses throughout the day, and thick, unfiltered Turkish coffee, rich and often followed by fortune-telling from the grounds. Between them, tea and coffee are the constant, hospitable heartbeat of Turkish life.

Alcohol is readily available in the tourist areas, resorts and restaurants of the coast, though as in any culture, drinking is best enjoyed in moderation and with awareness of your surroundings — more discreetly outside the tourist zones and with respect during religious occasions like Ramadan. The spirit of Turkish drinking, whether a rakı table or a glass of tea, is really about sharing time with others.

If your evening includes wine with dinner, a rakı table or drinks at a beach bar, the one thing to plan is how you get home. Nightlife and dining spots are often some distance from where you are staying, and you should never drive after drinking. A pre-arranged private transfer solves it completely: a driver takes you out and brings you home safely at the end of the night, so you can relax and enjoy the evening — a glass of Turkish wine or a rakı with your meze — without a worry about the journey back.

Turkish drinks are a rich part of the culture: an improving homegrown wine industry, the social ritual of rakı with meze, refreshing ayran, and the ever-present tea and coffee. Try a Turkish wine, experience a rakı table, cool down with an ayran — and if your evening involves a drink, let a private transfer carry you home safely, so the whole experience is nothing but pleasure.