In summer the sky over Istanbul is the clearest, the Boshorus is the bluest and the days are the longest. Who would not want to be here on such wonderful time? Only that the brightest sun and the temperature hitting 35C usually come as a part of the tour package. Feeling hot and tired hardly encourages cultural and culinary explorations of the city. A good news is that hot summers have been in Istanbul for thousand years and people have developed strategies to cope with the heat. One of them is drinking right and here is how.

A good strategy to get your energy back on a hot day is to keep hydrated. The most obvious way to stay hydrated in the heat is to consume as much liquid as you can. However not all drinks and beverages are created equal for a hot day. A very sobering truth is that coffee, black tea, carbonated drinks and alcohol dehydrate your body: you are not doing any good to yourself when ordering that Turkish coffee or buying that soda in such heat. Yet there are at least five summer drinks that will keep you hydrated and energetic in the Istanbul heat:

1. Water, plenty of water: Don’t ignore the obvious

Many centuries have passed since the water supply at the Greek colony of Byzas (modern day Istanbul) was so unreliable that wine was the safest beverage to drink. Though the quality of tap water has improved much over the centuries drinking tap water in Istanbul may still not the be the greatest idea. Locals would use it to wash vegetables and fruits or brush teeth but would stick to the bottled water for drinking and there is a whole industry around production and delivery of large water bottles to the households. As a traveler in Istanbul you will not have difficulties to get a small bottle of water anywhere. You will quickly spot piles of bottles stalked up outside of small shops and newspaper stalls or crying vendors at the busy public venues, “Su! Soğuk su! Elli kuriş!” (“Water! Cold Water! Fifty cents!”). Look out for the established brands such as Sarma, Damla, Saka, Erikli, Hayat, to mention a few, and take a note of a properly sealed cap. No need to wait till your throat becomes a dry desert - drink all the time: there is no crime in having 2-3 liters of water in the Istanbul heat.

2. Fresh juice: Take advantage of the season

Fresh juices are something that Istanbul visitors quickly notice. And it is hard to think of a more natural and delicious way to keep hydrated: seasonal fruits and vegetables are a rich source of carbohydrates and vitamins that will keep you up and running on a hot day. Another good news is that normally this luxury will be priced at a fraction of what you pay for a packaged version back home. Istanbul juice stalls in summer feature applies, strawberries, apricots, peaches, sour cherries. You can create your own mix with this local flavors and some exotic ones such as pineapple or kiwi. Use your judgement to access hygiene of the street juice vendors. Street doesn’t mean dirty: at safe places they make sure to wash fruits before squeezing and use plastic gloves too.

Useful addresses: Sifahane juice stalls at Kadıköy Market or by the Karaköy docks

3. Şerbet: Revive tradition

More of an extinct animal is şerbet, a drinkable part of the Ottoman culinary legacy which is worth to be sought after in the Istanbul heat. Made of concentrated fruit or herb syrup şerbet had replaced alcohol in the Islamic context and have been gracing Sultan tables for centuries. Served chilled or with ice makes a really great cooling drink. No wonder that after sampling şerbet in Istanbul Lord Byron said affectionately, “Give me a sun, I care not how hot, and şerbet, I care not how cool, and my Heaven is as easily made as your Persian’s”. Whenever you tour the Spice Market, stroll down the Istiklal Street or explore Kadıköy make sure to stop by Haci Bekir, a legendary confectionery shop in Istanbul, and venture for a glass of demirhindi (tamarind) şerbet. Besides keeping an old tradition live you will get your doze of hydration.

Useful addresses: Haci Bekir - Hamidiye Cad. No. 81 34110 Bahçekapı, İstiklal Cad. No. 83A 34433 Beyoğlu, Muvakkithane Cad. No. 14-16 34710 Kadıköy

4. Ayran: Do as Locals Do

Ayran is a salty drink of yogurt diluted with water. It was once brought to the mankind by the nomad Turks and still very common in the Central Asian countries. Nomads were minimalists by nature, centuries before it became trendy so they would not had come up with something useless and by looking at the great qualities of ayran you can tell. It has a natural cooling effect on the body; contains good bacteria which help digestion, balances any spicy food you may venture for and gives you the required salt supply to keep hydrated in the Istanbul heat. You can buy ayran packaged (Sütaş would be a good example of decent commercially produced ayran) yet in summer make sure to take advantage of running ayran served in kebab or pide shops around Istanbul: note sinks with white bubbly substance and signs “susurluk ayran“. This frothy ayran is prepared by circulating through a faucet with the help of high speed pumps. In less traditional places (like Kantin) they may serve ayran with chopped mint or other herbs - definitely look our for such interestingness.

Useful addresses: Kantin, Akkavak Sokağı No: 30 Nişantaşı

5. Lemonade: Spot the trend

Besides being generally fashionable and refreshing drink lemonade does great job in keeping you hydrated in the Istanbul heat. Essential oil obtained from lemon is believed to have a great cooling effect on the body so adding lemon to water increases the body hydration rate. In Istanbul lemonade drinking is a somewhat lost and found thing. On the one hand a whole bunch of old school confectionery shops and eateries will be serving it - look out for plastic trunks with pale yellow liquid made of sugar-lemon syrup diluted with water. On the other end of the spectrum lemonade becomes a signature beverage of trendy summer hangouts such as House Cafe in Ortakoy or Mangerie in Bebek. Staying hydrated is apparently a very trend thing.

Useful addresses: House Cafe, Salhane Sokak No: 1 Ortaköy; Mangerie, Cevdet Paşa Caddesi No: 69 Küçükbebek.