Sole Cocktail & Bar: Istanbul
View of the Bosphorus in Istanbul
I just got back from a trip around Turkey with my partner, his mom, and his sister. We went to Istanbul, Eceabat, Izmir, Bodrum, and Cappadocia. It was an incredible and active vacation, filled with tours of ruins, huge Turkish breakfasts, adorable stray cats, an amazing hot air balloon ride at sunrise, and of course, a good amount of booze. Because we were four people with a packed itinerary, I only got one chance to grab a drink myself—a very quick and haphazard one at that.
Sole Cocktail &. Bar
Bozkurt, Eşref Efendi Sk. No:3A, 34375 Osmanbey, İstanbul, Türkiye
The Place: A strange bar that I stumbled upon in the Nişantaşı neighborhood of Istanbul.
Outside Sole Cocktail & Bar
The Time: Monday September 16, 8:45pm. It’s our fourth day in Istanbul. We had a full day of visiting the city’s prime tourist spots: the stunning Blue Mosque, the glorious Hagia Sophia, the actual jaw-dropping Basilica Cistern. Understandably, Tom’s mom and sister were tuckered out from the day, so Tom and I took the evening to venture to a neighborhood that our guide suggested we check out, equating it to New York’s West Village: Nişantaşı. We grabbed a delish traditional Turkish meal at Tatbak, then set off to do one of our favorite activities: bar hop. We walked around for quite some time, following the dots that Google maps said were bars (I’d say the neighborhood was a bit more like Fifth Avenue than the West Village for the ratio of bars/restaurants to upscale shops) until we come upon Sole. As I’m heading inside, Tom spots a store that’s open and might have leather sandals or something, so I set out to grab a drink while my boyfriend shops. I love mixing up gender norms.
This was on the ceiling
The Vibe: Note the sign outside says “Sole Cocktail & Bar” and not “Sole Cocktail Bar” and really that should’ve been my first clue. It’s a small, narrow space with brick walls, fake hanging plants, tons of neon lights. That’s my first general note about bars in Istanbul: Turks love their neon lights and signs. Here they’ve got a neon sign of the bar name on the ceiling, surrounded by fake plants. There are a few people here, nearly all of them sitting outside or by the open windows. There are dart boards on the walls, but there’s not enough space to actually step back from them and play darts. Despite the pink of the Sole sign, the lights are VERY blue, and the music is like, ambient electronica and every bar in this city seems to be tuned into this exact playlist. TBH I should probably jump ship and join Tom in the store because the vibes are a little off but for some reason I feel the need to see this through.
The Bartender: Similar to my experience in France five years ago, it seems that there’s not a big “sit AT the bar” culture here. This could be a symptom of living in a place that only has nice weather for part of the year–they take the opportunity to be outside whenever they can, and retreat indoors when the weather sucks. Even if this is the case, the bars themselves seem to be pretty tiny, with only a few seats. Sole is no exception: there are three bar stools, two of which are occupied: one by a server, and one by a guy smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone. When I walk up to the bar, the server comes up to me, and I try to mime that it’s just me for the bar. There’s a clear language barrier, but her tone is obvious when she says, “you want to sit here?” So I say, “okay guess not, how about over there?” pointing to one of the high tops. Then she asks if I want draft or bottle so I just say draft because that’s easier than attempting to order what I actually want (a cocktail).
The draft beer in question
The Drank: The draft beer I didn’t really want is probably Efes Pilsener. It’s the Turkish beer that’s everywhere, akin to Budweiser in the US. It’s beer, y’know? It’s also 150 lira, about 4.50 USD. (Fun fact: since Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol advertisements are illegal. But some brands have effectively come up with code names that they can use instead, like Guinness is “Greatness” in the Guinness font; Efes is “+1.” The more you know!)
I’ll take this opportunity to say that I did have some good cocktails in Turkey (shoutouts to the rooftop bar at the Peninsula, Dunno, The Kitchen in Bodrum, and surprisingly the Museum Hotel in Cappadocia) but my main takeaway from drinking culture in Turkey is raki. It’s a grape-based spirit similar to pastis or ouzo that’s flavored with anise and turns milky-white when you add water. Turks drink raki with water and ice (never neat) and pretty much always while eating a meal. I’ve never been much of an anise girl, but I’m really into raki.
Was I Hit On?: There’s one other solo guy over at the opposite wobbly high top, wearing a hat and a striped shirt, drinking a beer and looking at his phone. But honestly, I don’t stay long enough to see if he’ll try and talk to me; pretty soon Tom texts saying he found an actual cocktail bar a few blocks away.
Should You Drink Here Alone?: At Sole Cocktail & Bar? Gonna say no. However, I don’t think it’s impossible to have fun drinking alone in Istanbul–I think it just requires a bit of research, certainly more than I did. I also think Istanbul (and Turkey in general) is a great place for sober folks to go out alone. Coffee shops and dessert places are open super late, most likely for religious Muslims and others who abstain. So you can still go out and have a good time in Istanbul, whether your drink of choice is raki or Turkish tea.
