Şalgam Suyu (Turnip Juice) Mocktail Recipe
A deep purple, salty-sour fermented juice of black carrot and turnip, served ice cold and as fiery as you care to make it.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Fermented şalgam juice200 ml (6.8 oz)
- Hot pepper brine (for acılı; leave out for acısız)1 tsp
- Pickled purple carrot stick1 piece
How to Make It
- Chill the şalgam thoroughly — it is only ever drunk ice cold.
- Pour it into a tall glass, leaving a little room at the top.
- Stir in the hot pepper brine a teaspoon at a time for acılı, or leave it out altogether for acısız.
- Drop in the stick of pickled purple carrot and serve alongside kebab or rakı.
Garnish
The stick of pickled purple carrot standing in the glass, with a lemon wedge on the side
What it tastes like
There is a spiced warmth to it and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Fermented şalgam juice
- Şalgam: purple carrot and turnip fermented with sour dough starter — salty and sour, not a fruit juice. Nothing replaces it; the heat comes from pepper brine, so the mild version is the same juice without it.
- Hot pepper brine (for acılı; leave out for acısız)
- Hot pepper brine — this alone brings the heat; the şalgam itself is not spicy. Add it a spoon at a time, because it cannot be taken back out.
The Story
Şalgam belongs to the Çukurova region around Adana, where black carrot, turnip and bulgur flour are left to ferment in salted brine; it travels the country as the traditional partner to kebab and rakı.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Şalgam Suyu (Turnip Juice) mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- Does a Şalgam Suyu (Turnip Juice) contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Şalgam Suyu (Turnip Juice) hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.