As I walk through Cihangir, lively with coffee shops, bars and music, the drinking often overflowing on to the sidewalks, I think how stifling drinking out in our metros is in comparison. Geyik has the talented Dogus Turumen behind the bar, who describes it is an old-school American bar.

I start with a classic, the Hanky Panky, a cocktail credited to Ada Coleman, the head bartender at the Savoy in London. With 45 ml each of gin and sweet vermouth, and a couple of dashes of Fernet-Branca, it is not for the faint hearted. As I chat with Dogus, he tells me about his experiments with tepache, the fermented beverage from Mexico made with pineapple. He, however, has made his batch with plums, from nearby Malta. I find it sweeter, less citric, when compared to the one I’d tasted at Jay Khan’s COA in Hong Kong last year. My next drink is a well-balanced Trinidad Sour, with bourbon, Amaretto, lime juice and Sour mix. Meanwhile, Dogus recommends the Alexandra, too, but as my family is waiting for me at dinner, I decide to push it to the next day.