Watching the amazing Galata Tower from a roofbar: ROBIN'S

And finally we are together in Istanbul again! Lara has just came back from Toulouse , only for 10 days unfortunately... But still, it is super nice to spend some time together in this beautiful city just like in the old days. And here is our first discovery since Lara came: ROBIN'S

ROBIN'S is a great ROOFBAR in this popular district GALATA. It is located on the hill between Galata Tower and Tunel(The second end of Istıklal Street). As you pass the Galata Tower and climb up the hill , you will see the HOTEL DUO on your left side, which is also a restaurant. Go inside this restaurant and ask immediately where the ELEVATOR is ! Because the surprise is waiting for you upstairs! Fourth Floor and you are kindly welcomed to the roof bar ROBIN'S !

 

It is actually a small terrace (much smaller than we expected) but it doesn't even matter after you see that amazing view of the Galata Tower. Much more than the view of the Bosphorus, this roofbar amazes you by the fact that its located just next to the Galata Tower. While you enjoy your cocktail , you feel so close as you can seriously reach and touch the Galata Tower.

 

Furthermore, this place is not crowded, maybe because it is actually hidden in a hotel. We actually loved the idea that this place is not so easy to see and discover! As it is not so crowded, this bar is a super option to spend some hours before a dinner and having a drink while enjoying the view. And that was what we did the other day! We went to this place about 19.00 pm and enjoyed our conversation with a glass of wine. Of course there was a lot to talk about!

After all , Robin's is a perfect place with its
AMAZING VIEW
GOOD QUALITY OF SERVICE
NICE, EASY LISTENING MUSIC
GOOD SELECTION OF WINE ( They have a couple of wine options which you can order as a glass - a glass of wine is about 20-25 Turkish Lira)
TASTY COCKTAILS ( We tried a cocktail which was similar to Gin Tonic- but they added cucumber in it! I have never thought before that cucumber would go so great with a drink! - It was so fresh! )

Trattoria ENZO: I found the best Pizza in town - but the children almost killed me !

FINALLY !
I FOUND IT !
I found the best pizza in Istanbul ! It is classic, it is yummy , it is gorgeous , it is Italian !

Trattoria Enzo !
I was constantly looking at the photos of this place on Instragram and their pizza looked so yummy that I even started to see them in my dreams.... So at that point I realised that I have to go to this place as soon as possible !
And that day came last week. I am so happy to tell you that the Pizza tasted even more delicious than I thought ! A wonderful crust and an amazing sauce. The crust is so thin and crispy in the middle but then it suddenly surprises you with its fluffy corners!
The crust and the sauce: Aren't they the most important and the hardest criterias when it comes to a GREAT PIZZA? The toppings matter for sure, but to find tasty toppings is not as hard as managing the crust and the sauce. I suppose that is why I am not even a little bit surprised when ı see this huge creativity on the menus of many pizza restaurants in Istanbul when it comes to the combination of the topics ! Each restaurant has minimum thirty different pizzas on their menus ! When the basic of the pizza is disappointing, why not hiding it?
But THIS PLACE does not need any creative pizza combination to satisfy the customers because the pizza itself is so delicious! As a result they only have maybe 6 or 7 different options. Besides they dont throw the toppings like crazy on the pizza like every other pizzeria in town - you can still see the crust rather than a 'chunk of toppings in a disc form'.

So when it comes to taste I give a 10 to this place! By the way we went to this place carrying our dreams of the pizza, however we left it not only with the memory of the surprisingly good taste of the pizza but also the pasta ! Oh and these fresh warm breadsticks they serve with some olive oil ... They should not be forgotten either !

BUT UNFORTUNATELY when it comes to the place , I wont be giving a ten ! Here are some reasons:
Let's be honest: The decoration is wonderful with all details: especially with the classic italian table cloths they managed to create this typical italian trattoria athmosphere. HOWEVER it is completely IMPOSSIBLE to feel like you are in a cozzy italian restaurant: The first reason is the rush of the waiters which I totally could not understand! The second reason is the BIG MISTAKE the restaurant has made by opening this place in a SHOPPING MALL! Unfortunately, these families that obviously shopped like crazy for hours choose to have a break not in the food court but in this restaurant. It seems like they try to give around a message:  'Oh, we are so rich and intellectual that we do not eat at that simple food court of the shopping mall like the other losers! '
I really don't understand these people... They go inside carrying hundreds of shopping bags, order almost all the dishes written on the menu BUT do not even know how to sit proparly on a table and eat. Why all this drama?? Why is it such a BIG DEAL when they taste some pizza or pasta which the people in Italy eat almost every day for lunch??? Furhetmore, while the parents act so 'high', their children act the opposite way: Like they are put in an amusement park ! Playing around, throwing balls, in a RESTAURANT ! For these reasons I felt uncomfortable in this place.
But however I should admit that I still cannot forget this amazing taste of my pizza ! So, although these families drove me crazy, I am again expecting to go there again and get another pizza !!!

Where is it?

In a shopping mall called ' AKASYA ' at the asian side of İstanbul. Check the google maps! 

 

Çeçen Sok. Akasya Acıbadem
Acıbadem/İstanbul

Trattoria ENZO : Pizzanın tadı damagımda - ama cocukların da gürültüsü kulagımda !

Instragramdaki fotograflarına baka baka agzımın sulandıgı ve en sonunda gidip o son zamanlarda rüyalarımı süsleyen enfes pizzayı tatmayı basardıgım mekandır kendisi. Lezzeti en az görüntüsü kadar muazzam! önce pizzanın enfes domates sosuna ve incecik hamuruna hayran kalıyorsun,daha sonra kenarlarına dogru geldikce hamurunun o nefis kabarıklıgı ile pizza seni tekrar sasırtıyor! Pizzada esas meselede bu işte! Hamur ve sosta iddaası olmayanlar doldursun tabi üstüne malzemeyi! Bu sehirde denedigim cogu pizzacının zengin malzeme kombinasyonlarındaki yaratıcılıklarına sasırmamak lazım, pizzanın temelinde iş yok ki! Trattoria Enzonun ise binbir ceşit malzemeyle ikna etmeye ihtiyacı yok: menude ya altı ya yedi cesit, her biri iki üc malzemeli kısa ve net pizza secenekleri var. Benim de en cok begendigim tarafı bu oldu. Üstelik malzeme de öyle pizzanın kendisi görünmeyecek gibi boca edilmemiş: mantarlar pizzamın ortasında nazikce serpilmiş ve pizzanın kendi güzelligi böylece ön planda kalmayı basarabilmişti! Anlayacagınız tad konusunda yıldızlı on benden bu mekana. Yıldızı da önden gelen taptaze grissini,ekmek ve zeytinyagı üclemesinden geliyor. Ha bir de dana incikli taze makarnası! Pizzanın hayaliyle gittik, birde makarnanın ugrattıgı şok ile cıktık. Yanlız mekanın kendisi on numara diyemicem ne yazık ki.gerekcelere gelirsek...

Dekorasyon tüm ayrıntılarıyla düsünülmüs, kırmızı beyazlı örtüleriyle tipik bir italyan restoranı ambiyansı yaratılmaya calısılmıs, iyi hoş ama kendini italyanın o tatlı mütevazi trattorialarından birinde gibi hissetmenin mümkünatı yok! Gerek garsonların acayip bir telaşı, gerek icerideki bangır bangır müzik... en acı gercek ise alısveris merkezi icinde olması "hatası" nedeniyle delice alısverislerine ara vermiş olan sevgili ailelerin ugrak mekanı haline gelmis olması. Ah o aileler,  "food court bizi kesmez, italyan restoranında yeriz biz" mesajı verircesene etrafa süper havalı bakışlar atan, sonra o masayı kıtlıktan cıkmışcasına her türlü italyan spesiyalleri ile sadece donatmıs olmak icin donatan ve üstelik o güzelim yemekleri de masaya carpık bir sekilde oturarak sallapati yiyen aileler... Bu kasıntılık neden? İtalyanların her öglen tatillerinde bir kadeh sarap esliginde yedikleri makarnayı siz yiyince  niye lüks? Anneler babalar kasılırkene cocuklar ise tam tersi, lunaparka gelmiş misali ! Restoranın icinde ben diyim size körebe, siz diyin bana saklambac .. Ne oyun ararsan var! Kısacası pizzanın tadı damagımda kaldı, ama gönül bir de isterdi ki o leziz yemegin tadına şöyle sakin sakin hakkıyla varabilmek...

Honest Istanbul Guide Vol1: GALATA

LETS GET STARTED WITH MY HONEST ISTANBUL GUIDE

I am a fan of this city and I go out almost every weekend to discover some nice places, because to be honest, although there are like thousands of cafes and bars around in this huge city, just a few of them have a really good quality. Yeah I know, what a shame! But unfortunately, after searching and tasting and discovering like crazy I have to admit that most of the spots we see around have just spent the money on the decoration but have no idea about the quality of service and food!
And thats why I am writing to you right now! So that you won’t get dissappointed and just pick the right places with my help . İstanbul is such a great city but to see its real great beauty, you have to know the city pretty well, cause its way too big and complicated!!!

Thats why I am here to share my best discoveries, to share the most wonderful local spots that I personally enjoy ! So here are some tips from me:

We start with one of my favorite districts in İstanbul at the European side: GALATA 

Galata is full of little cafes, which are located in little tiny streets rather than the main street. So it is a little hard to find them , I am gonna try to describe where they are but I suggest you to check this internet site foursquare.com  , where you can find all the cafes and their exact locations I am gonna suggest you. You  just need to enter the name of the cafe or restaurant and it opens you directly its location on google map!

BUT I AM ALSO GONNA MAKE SOME SCREENSHOTS FROM GOOGLE MAP AND PUT IT HERE. 

Okay, lets take this famous GALATA TOWER as the center. Firstly I suggest you going up on this tower as the view is fantastic! This is of course a MUST DO thing in Istanbul! But be careful about the timing cause the line gets too big, especially in the afternoon after the dreadful sun gets less effective. So you better visit there in the morning for example. I know, the sunset view will be awesome too but dont worry, I will tell you another place very soon where you can not only enjoy the sunset but also maybe a beer or cocktail! So Galata Tower is just in the middle and there are lots of streets around it. At the towers right side, right at the corner there is a hotel ( ANEMON GALATA ) and there is a street going down right near it. When you go that street down, you will find a great wine bar on your right side: SENSUS WINE .

 Its a great place for the evening to taste some wine ( especially the turkish products are suprisingly good! ) but sometimes you need a reservation, but you will probably find place on the bar. The prices are fair. Normally in the restaurants if you order just one glass of wine they dont have many options and they charge you pretty much for a tiny glass of wine ( they usally fill the glass just a little ! I HATE THAT! ) 

BUT this Wine House, as they sell their own products, offer you about 15 different wines that you can order just as a glass . And the prices change between 9 Turkish Lira to 25 Turkish Lira. So that means you do not have to open a bottle and stick to one type of wine- Get their special menu for Glass Wines and pick what you want, try some several different options-! That was what I exactly did- of course I prefered the cheaper ones and they honestly tasted all good ! So this place is PERFECT for a cheap but definitely quality WINE TASTING!

Anyways, if you pass this wine bar and continue to walk down, there is a super sweet cafe called CAFE VELVET: great place to drink a cup of coffee or something refreshing such as their homemade lemonade! By the way, if you wanna try something authentic: TRY THEIR YUMMY TURKISH DESERT: “KAYMAKLI UN HELVASI”. I mentioned more info about this place already on my blog! So check the special post about this place !

Now lets go back to Galata Tower. At the left corner there is an authentic turkish cafe where people generally have turkish tea for about 1.50 or 2 turkish lira and chat and watch around and this time there is again a street going down full of cafes. At the beginning of this street there is a shop which sells some authentic turkish products.So when you start going down this street, the streets automatically turns right. Follow it and you will see a coffee shop on the right side: CHERRY BEANS. 

Its one of the most peaceful places for a cup of coffee, its really tiny. The coffee is really good and their homemade cakes go great together. This spot is definitely one of my favorite spots for a COFFEE-BREAK. Inside smells awesome ( a lovely tasty combination of fresh coffee and warm homemade cookiieess and cakesss ) 

What I secondly adore in this place is always the music playing inside: sometimes they often play easy listening classical tracks and it goes perfect while sitting in this cute cafe, watching outside and drinking your fresh warm coffee.

 http://www.cherrybeancoffees.com/

If you skip this one and keep going down, you will see CAFE KONAK at the left side. This cafe is a standard patisserie but they have this terrace on the top of the building and it has an awesome view! You can drink maybe a turkish tea and enjoy the view: Galata Tower right on your back , which seems so close like you can even touch it, and the amazing bosphorus on your front. 

LET'S GET STARTED AGAIN !

I know , it has been AGAIN ages since I wrote my last post :(( BUT it was such a difficult year for both me and Lara , as we were trying to graduate from our high schools and struggling with our last finals ! All that exams, stress, university applications... After all we still made some discoveries but could not find time to share them .

BUT NOW IT IS TIME AGAIN ! It is time to discover, to drink, to cook, to eat, to enjoy and to APPRECIATE all these. And of course TO SHARE.
This time we will be writing even more than before. I will be here in Istanbul studying in the state conservatory of Istanbul University but my dear friend LARA LEFT ME AGAIN => This time she left me for EUROPE ! She will be studying in Toulouse in France.
But you already know that the distance does not play any role in our friendship ;) The fact that Lara was going to USA two years ago as an AFS student was the reason we started all this blog thing.

Soo, I would like to start with a discovery I made the last day ALL BY MYSELF because Lara is already gone.....

I went to this wonderful roof bar in Beyoglu and enjoyed a glass of Italian white wine together with the amazing sunset view of the Bosphorus :  NUTERAS

This place is in Pera which is a district right behind Asmalımescid. When you start walking in İstiklal Street , starting from Tünel towards Taksim, after about 3-4 minutes you will see this arcade called ODAKULE on your left side. There is this clothes shop called 'Collezione' right in front of it. So pass through this arcade and you are directly in Pera.

Go to Nuteras right after 6.30 and you will immediately find a nice seat at the roof bar. My pick was whine but of course you can also have a beer or you can try one of their great cocktails.

GREAT MUSIC+AN UNFORGETTABLE SUNSET VIEW+A GLASS OF WINE=Only about 15 to 25 Lira.  To enjoy all these costed me only 23 Turkish lira. I think it was a PERFECT DEAL for a peaceful evening.

Meşrutiyet Caddesi No.67, Tepebaşı, Beyoğlu

Here is the link : http://nupera.com.tr/restoran/nuteras

For more info+photos: https://tr.foursquare.com/v/nuteras/4c00234237850f479fcc973f

NOSTALGIA

Bilgisayar basında oturmus fotograflara bakip biraz ani tazelerken Lara ile geçen sene yaz baslangıcında tüm sınavlarımızın bitmesinin ardindan kendimize armagan ettigimiz harika pazar gününün fotograflarina rastladım! Biraz nostalji, biraz kahkaha biraz da hüzünlü dakikalarin ( Çok özledim ! ) ardindan bu muhtesem gun yaptigimiz İstanbul kesiflerimizi  paylasmaya karar verdim. 

 İste Nostalji Vol 1 : 
Van Kahvaltı Sofrası
Bebek Senligi ve
Nusret STEAKHOUSE

I was just sitting in front of the computer and checking some photos when ı found the pictures which Lara and ı had made on a beautiful sunday at the beginning of last years summer, after we got rid of all our exams! After a little bit nostalgic and sad moments ( I missed Lara so much! ) and some laugh ı decided to share this great day with great discoveries with you.

 Here is Nostalgia Vol 1 :
Van Kahvaltı Sofrası 
Bebek Festival
Nusret STEAKHOUSE


Butun senenin stresini arkamizda nihayet biraktiktan sonra solugu Cihangir'de VAN KAHVALTI SOFRASI'nda aldik ve kendimizi ödüllendirmeye nefis bir kahvalti ile basladik.


After leaving all the stress of the year behind us, we found ourselves in VAN KAHVALTI SOFRASI, which is a cafe where only breakfast is served and we rewarded ourselves with a yummy breakfast!


Burasi İstanbul'un en renkli cafelerine sahip olan Cihangir semtinde bulunan küçücük bir kahvaltı evi. Küçük ama nasil kalabalik! Millet deli gibi sira bekliyo! Eger sabahin gec saatlerine kalirsaniz mutlaka siz de biraz beklemek zorunda kalirsiniz. O yüzden en güzeli tembellikten kısıp biraz daha erken hareketlenip erken gitmek! 




Here is a tiny cafe , where they serve a huge traditional breakfast from the city ' Van ' in Turkey and it is located in the district called ' Cihangir ' which is famous with its cute cafes and is really close to the city center ' Taksim '. Although the place is so tiny, there are lots of people waiting on the line in order to have breakfast here! So if you don't want to wait , you should come in earlier hours like between 9-10 o'clock in the morning.

Gelelim Kahvaltıya: Fotografta da gördügünüz gibi masayı  Serpme Kahvaltı ile donattılar. Bu secenekte kahvaltıya dair ne isterseniz var: Vana özel otlu peynirinden, recellere, tahin pekmeze, bal ile kaymağa kadar. Biz bir de ortaya bir mantarlı menemen söyledik.Siz de mutlaka söyleyin derim! Ve tabii ki Van'in leziz yöresel kahvalti spesiyalleri de kahvaltının içinde: Murtuğa ve Kavut. Özellikle murtuğa un, şeker ve tereyağı ile yapılıp üstüne bal ya da reçel döküp yenilen harika bir spesiyal! Bunlar serpme kahvaltının içinde ufak miktarda geliyor. Eger isterseniz ayrıca söyleyebiliyorsunuz. Çay ise limitsiz!

About the Breakfast: As you see in the photo they bring on your table almost every single speciality they have in tiny plates. That's called ' Serpme Kahvaltı ' in Turkish with all kinds of  traditional cheese, honey with cream,marmalades,tomatoes,breads and lots more... We also ordered a turkish egg speciality which is called ' Menemen ' and is prepared with lots of tomatoes,pepper and mushrooms. You should definitely try it! Besides they serve some traditional breakfast food from Van such like 'Murtuğa' and 'Kavut'. Especially Murtuğa is a delicious dish made with butter,flour and egg.But don't forget to add marmalade or honey at the top of this dish while eating! By the way, the tea is unlimited!

Enfes bir kahvaltının ardindan günümüzü biraz da kültürel açidan zenginlestirelim dedik ve ikinci duragımız Emirgan'da bulunan Sabancı Müzesindeki Rembrandt Sergisi oldu. Rembrandt ve cagdaslarının eserleri buraya Amsterdam'ın en ünlü müzelerinden olan RIJK MUSEUM ' dan getirilmis.

After a great breakfast we wanted to add some culturel event to our perfect day so our next stop was this ' Sabancı Museum' in Emirgan. We visited the exhibition ' Rembrandt ' ( who was one of the most famous artists ). They brought all his paintings from the RIJK MUSEUM in Amsterdam which is one of the most important museums of the city.

İste Rembrandt ve çağdaşlarının muhtesem eserlerinin bir kaçı:
Here are some great pieces of Rembrandt:

Sergide epey bir zaman gecirdikten sonra artık resimleri incelemekten gözlerimiz, ayakta 
dikilmekten de biz bitik durumdaydık. Kendimizi disarı atar atmaz müzenin önündeki cimlere yayildik. Sabancı Müzesi'nin güzel yanlarindan biri de muhtesem bir bogaz manzarasına sahip olmasi. Biz de yorgunlugumuzu cimlerin üstünde İstanbul'un güzel manzarasını seyredip denizinin dalgalarını dinleyerek atıverdik.

After spending pretty much time in the museum we were so tired of standing und staring at the pieces that we left the building and immedietaly laid on the grass in the museums garden. One of the best things about the 'Sabancı Museum' is that it is right on the coast and has this great view of the sea and bosphorus of İstanbul. So we had some break laying on the green grass, watching the amazing view and listening to the waves.

Dinlenmecenin ardından Emirgan'dan Bebek'e kadar boğaz kenarında yürüyüs yaptık. Bebek'te ise bizi Bebek Senligi karsıladı! Senlikte kurulmus standların birinden Jagermeister'li ahududulu kokteyllerimizi aldıktan sonra sahil kenarına çöküp yine bir deniz manzarası esliginde mola verdik.

As we had our break, we started to walk by the sea, from Emirgan to Bebek and in Bebek we came up this Bebek Festival where they put lots of food and drink stalls. So we took our raspberry cocktails with Jagermeister in it and sat on the coast, watching the great view of the city again...

Tüm bu gezintiler , yürümeler bize yetmemis gibi bir cılgınlık daha yaptık. Daha dogrusu bu benim Lara'ya zorla yaptırdığım hakikaten bir cılgınlıktı: Bebek'ten Etiler'e kadar tüm o yokusu cıkıp yürüdük. Ama bu zorlu süreçin ardında bizi bekleyen baska bir ziyafet daha vardı: Etiler Nispetiye Caddesi civarında bulunan Nusret STEAKHOUSE !

Like all these trips and walks were not enough, we also made another craziness by walking up the huge slope from Bebek to Etiler! Actually that was my craziness that ı forced Lara to walk there so that we can do some sport! BUT at the end of this painful process there was something DELICIOUS waiting for us: Nusret STEAKHOUSE ( located in Etiler,Nispetiye Street)




İşte burası hayatımızın en güzel etini yediğimiz restorandı! Burada menü yok. Bir garson sizinle bizzat ilgilenip aperatifler ve ana yemek öneriyor. Bizle de çok güler yüzlü bir garson ilgilendi: Önden Lokum ve Spagetti adlı spesiyallerini önerdi: Evet, her ikisi de garip adlı ve muhtesem lezzetli et cesitleri! Aperatiflerin ardından ana yemek için pek de halimiz kalmamisti ama büyük ısrarların ardından bir Dallas Steak paylastık. Nasıl pisirilmesini istediğimizi sormuyorlar bile çünkü onlar en iyisini biliyorlar. Gerçekten biliyolar! Hayatımda bu kadar güzel pişirilmiş , pamuk gibi Steak yememistim.

And here was the place where we ate the MOST DELICIOUS STEAK of our lives! They have no menu in this restaurant. A waiter takes care of you and suggests you the specialities they have. You pick some apetizers which are also meat. For example we had ' Lokum ' and ' Spagetti ' . Both of them have strange names which are definitely not related to meat but are yummmy meat dishes! After the apetizers you have your main course which should be a steak. We were so full because of the apetizers that we shared a steak which was called 'Dallas'. Thank god we shared the steak because it was so huge ! But that was definitely the most tasteful steak we have ever eaten. They even don't ask if you want your steak well done or medium etc. They just know to make the steak in the greatest way!

Etin tadından sasırmısa dönmüs iken garsonumuz bir de ' Sizi tatlı yemeden göndermem ' diyiverdi. Neymis bu tatli derken her gün İmam Çağdaş'tan özel olarak getirdikleri dondurmalı fıstıklı baklavayı karsımızda bulduk. En az et kadar bir de tatlının lezzeti bizi şaşkınlığa uğrattı. Hele tatlının servis edilişi daha da etkileyiciydi. Garson baklavayi ortadan ikiye ayırıp içine kaymaklı dondurmayı bir güzel sürdü,sonra ayırdığı kısmı baklavanın tekrar üstüne koyup bir de ters çevirdi.








We were just surprised by the amazing taste of the steak when our waiter told us that he won't let us go until we eat their special dessert, which is a type of our traditional turkish dessert called Baklava with pistachio and served with ice cream. They bring this dessert every day from the city called ' İmam Çağdaş ' where it is traditionally made. It was as surprisingly delicious as the steak! And how the waiter served the dessert was also really interesting: He separated the dessert into two pieces and put the ice cream in the top of one piece. Then he put the other piece again on the top of ice cream, so ice cream was now in the middle of this traditional dessert.Yummmyyyy

İste Lara ile geçirdiğim unutulmaz bir gün daha böyle sonlanıverdi. Kahkahalar, spor yapalım diye saatlerce yürüyüsler, ve nefis ziyafetler! Bir an evvel gelsen de yine devam etsek kesiflerimize :) Seni çok özledim Larisim!       -Revna



So that was the end of this amazing day ı spent with Lara. Lots of laugh, lots of walks ( so that we do some sport in my opinion! ) and delicious food ! I hope you come as soon as possible my dear Lara so that we keep our great days like this :) Miss you so much !   -Revna

SANGRIA TIME !

      Biraz restoranlar, biraz yemek tarifleri derken şimdi de sıra içkide !

En az yemek yapmak kadar değişik kokteyller denemeyi de çok seviyorum. Spesiyallerim arasında bol naneli Mojito var ( İleri bir zamanda onu da paylaşıcam ). Ama önceliği iki senedir bayıla bayıla içtiğim kokteyle vermek istiyorum: SANGRIA 

Some restaurants, some food recipes... And now its time for some drink !

I love to prepare some cocktails as much as to cook ! One of my specialities is Mojito with lots of fresh mints! ( I will share the recipe with you soon! ) But firstly ı want to tell you about this great cocktail which ı have been often  preparing and drinking for two years: SANGRIA

Bu nefis şarap kokteylini Lara ile de yapmışlığımız vardır :) Şarabın kendisini zaten çok severim ancak bir sürü meyve, limon ve portakal suyu , biraz da şekerin eşlik etiiği şarabın tadi daha da güzel oluyor !

I have also made this delicious Wine Cocktail with Lara :) I like the wine itsself a lot but it tastes much better when you add lots and lots of fruits, lemon and orange juice and some sugar in it !

Ayrıca sadece BİR ŞİŞE şarap kullanarak yaklaşık ÜÇ SÜRAHİ Sangria elde edebiliyorsunuz. Böylece arkadaşlarla içip dağıtmak hem daha HESAPLI hem de daha LEZZETLİ ! 

( Küçük bir not: Alkole şeker kattığınızda kafayı bulmak da daha kolay. Her açıdan kardasınız anlayacağınız ;) )

Besides you can prepare with just ONE BOTTLE of red wine almost THREE JUGS of Sangria! So you can drink and have fun with your friends much CHEAPER and much MORE DELICIOUS. 

( P.S.  Besides its much easier to get drunk when you add sugar to alcohol ;) ) 

Bir ispanyol şarap kokteyli olarak bilinen SANGRIA'yı yapmak inanılmaz basit:

MALZEMELER:

Bir şişe kırmızı şarap ( Direk en ucuzundan alın! Meyveler ve şekerle karışınca şarabın kendisinin kalitesinin pek önemi kalmıyor açıkçası )

İki çorba kaşığı toz şeker

İki portakalın suyu

İki limonun suyu

Bol buz

Küçük küçük dilimlenmiş Portakal,Limon ve Yeşil Elma ( Bunlar Sangriaya en çok yakışan meyveler ama kafanıza göre istediğiniz meyveyi ekleyebilirsiniz. Örneğin ben yazın şeftali de ekliyodum )

Yaklaşık iki su bardağı hazır limonata 

It's very easy to prepare SANGRIA which is a spanish wine cocktail:

INGREDIENTS:

A bottle of red wine ( Choose the cheapest one! Because the taste of the wine itsself doesn't matter when you put sugar and fruits in it... )

Two tablespoons granulated sugar

Juice of two oranges

Juice of two lemons

Lots of ice

Tiny sliced or chopped oranges,lemons and green apples ( These are the best fruits for Sangria but you can add every fruit you like. For example ı added peach into it in summer)

Two cups of lemonade

Yapmamız gereken tek şey tüm bu malzemeleri kocaman bir sürahide veya kapta karıştırmak. Önce şarabı bir güzel boşaltıyoruz sonra şekeri atıp karıştırarak içinde erimesini sağlıyoruz. Ardından portakal ve limon suyunu ekliyoruz. Sonra da içine meyvelerimizi küçük küçük doğuruyoruz. İster yarım ay şeklinde doğrayın ister küp küp. Ben genelde küp küp doğruyorum. Böylece içerken ağzımıza ufak ufak meyve parçaları geliyor. En son olarak limonatayı ekleyip bolca karıştırıyoruz. Kokteyl için ölçüler bu şekilde ancak damak tadınıza göre biraz oynama yapabilirsiniz. Ben her Sangria yaptığımda tadına bakarak biraz daha limonata veya portakal suyu ekliyorum mesela.

All you need to do is to mix all of the ingredients in a large jug or a bowl. First you poor the red wine in to the jug/bowl. You add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves in it. Then you add the orange and lemon juice. After that you prepare the fruits. You can slice them in the shape of a new moon. Or you can chop them in cubes. I prefer to prepare them in cubes so that ı can easily eat these tiny pieces of fruits  when ı drink my cocktail. Finally you add the lemonade and mix well. This is the basic recipe for the drink but you can make some changes in order to your taste. For example ı taste this cocktail every time ı prepare it and sometimes add a little more lemonade or orange juice.

SANGRİANIN ESAS PÜF NOKTASI içmeden evvel saatlerce buzdolabında bekletmek. Böylece meyveler içkiyi iyicene içine çekiyor ve tadı gittikçe güzelleşiyor. Ayrıca içmek istediğiniz zaman Sangrianız zaten buz gibi oluyor. Bardağınıza bir kaç buz tanesi koymanız yeter. Bekleticek vaktiniz yoksa o zaman kokteylinizi bol bol buzla doldurun !

THE TRICK by making Sangria is to keep it hours long in the fridge so that the fruits give their tastes perfectly into the wine and it tastes better and better! And you also don't need to put lots of ice in it because your cocktail will be chill enough! If you don't have time to keep it in the fridge , then dont forget to put lots and lots of ice in to the jug and to the glasses!

Sangriayı büyük bir sürahide servis edebilrisiniz. Veya derince bir kapta yapıp Punch gibi kepçe ile bardaklara doldurabilirsiniz. Hatta ben bir defasında Sangria hazırladığımda kocaman bir kavanozun içine yaptım ve ardından kepçe ile bardaklara servis ettim.

Sevgiler,

Revna

You can serve Sangria in a large jug or you can put it in a large bowl and serve it with scoop just like a punch. I even prepared it in an enormous jar!

Take care,
Revna