Gin and Botanical Cocktail Workshop in Istanbul: Learning the Art of Mixology with Erhan

Istanbul is one of the great food and drink cities of the world. The markets, 
the spice bazaars, the street food, the restaurants, the city has always had 
an extraordinary relationship with flavor, ingredient, and the pleasure of 
eating and drinking well.

But beyond the traditional food scene, a quieter and more creative culture 
has been developing in Istanbul for years, a culture of craft drinks, 
botanical experimentation, and cocktail making that draws on both the city's 
extraordinary pantry of local ingredients and a genuine global curiosity about 
what drinks can be.

Erhan is one of the most interesting figures in this scene. A passionate mixologist 
and botanical specialist based in Istanbul, he has spent years developing a deep 
understanding of how herbs, fruits, spices, and natural aromatics interact with 
gin — and how to teach others to work with these ingredients confidently and 
creatively.

His workshop, available through Farmiyo, is one of the most distinctive urban 
experiences in Istanbul.

WHO IS ERHAN

Erhan is not a cocktail bar owner or a hospitality professional in the 
conventional sense. He is a creative practitioner who has developed his own 
approach to gin-based cocktail making through years of experimentation with 
botanicals, seasonal ingredients, and flavor combinations that most bartenders 
never explore.

His focus is on understanding ingredients before technique. Before you learn 
how to make a cocktail, you learn why certain herbs and fruits work together, 
how acidity interacts with sweetness, what bitterness does to a drink's 
structure, and how aromatic intensity can be balanced and controlled.

This understanding changes how you approach not just cocktails but flavor in 
general. Participants consistently describe his workshop as one of the most 
genuinely educational food experiences they have had in Istanbul — and one of 
the most visually striking, given the extraordinary colors that fresh botanicals 
and fruits produce in a glass.

THE WORKSHOP

The gin and botanical cocktail workshop runs for approximately two to two and 
a half hours and is designed for small groups of four to twelve participants.

It begins with an introduction to gin as a spirit, what defines it, how 
different production methods create different flavor profiles, and why gin 
is particularly well suited to botanical experimentation. This is not a 
technical lecture. It is a practical foundation that helps participants 
understand what they are working with before they start.

From there, the workshop moves into the core of what Erhan teaches, the 
relationship between botanicals and flavor.

You will explore a carefully selected range of fresh herbs, seasonal fruits, 
spices, and aromatic ingredients. Erhan explains how each one behaves in a 
drink, how mint adds freshness, how citrus zest creates aromatic complexity, 
how different peppers introduce heat at different points in the flavor 
experience, how unexpected combinations can create something entirely new.

Then you make cocktails. Two to three gin-based drinks, each one designed to 
demonstrate a different principle, balance, contrast, layering, or 
transformation. You work with the ingredients directly, adjusting ratios, 
tasting as you go, developing your palate in real time.

Erhan guides the process closely, explaining the reasoning behind each 
decision and encouraging participants to experiment beyond the suggested 
recipes. The workshop is structured but not rigid, the best moments tend 
to come from unexpected combinations that participants discover for themselves.

The session ends with a tasting and discussion, comparing the drinks made 
by different participants, understanding what worked and why, and leaving 
with recipe notes and practical techniques you can apply at home.

ISTANBUL AS A BOTANICAL PANTRY

One of the things that makes Erhan's workshop particularly interesting in 
Istanbul is the city's extraordinary access to ingredients.

The spice markets of Istanbul contain botanicals that are not available in 
most of Europe, unusual dried flowers, exotic citrus varieties, heritage 
herbs and spices from across the former Ottoman world. The fresh markets 
offer seasonal fruits and vegetables with a flavor intensity that reflects 
the agricultural richness of Anatolia.

Erhan draws on this pantry deliberately. His workshops use ingredients that 
are specific to Istanbul and its surrounding region, creating drinks that 
could not be made anywhere else in quite the same way. This connection to 
place is part of what makes the experience genuinely memorable rather than 
generically educational.

THE COLORS

One aspect of Erhan's workshops that consistently surprises participants is 
the visual quality of what they produce.

Fresh botanicals, particularly flowers and certain fruits, create colors in 
gin that range from pale gold to deep magenta, electric blue, and vivid 
purple. These colors shift with the addition of citrus — a squeeze of lemon 
can change a blue drink to pink in seconds, demonstrating the acid-base 
chemistry that underlies cocktail making in a way that is both educational 
and spectacular.

Erhan designs his workshop to include these visual moments deliberately. 
The result is a session that produces drinks that are as beautiful as they 
are interesting, and that makes excellent content for anyone who wants to 
document the experience.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

- Introduction to gin and botanical principles
- Hands-on preparation of 2–3 gin-based cocktails
- Exploration of fresh herbs, fruits, and aromatic ingredients
- Guidance on flavor balance and presentation techniques
- Tasting and discussion session
- Recipe notes for home experimentation

Duration: Approximately 2–2.5 hours
Group size: Minimum 4, maximum 12 participants
Languages: English and Turkish
Location: Workshop venue in Istanbul
Participants must be of legal drinking age

WHO THIS IS FOR

The workshop works well for a wide range of participants and occasions.

Travelers visiting Istanbul who want an experience that goes beyond 
sightseeing and restaurant meals. Groups of friends looking for something 
creative and interactive. Couples wanting a memorable shared experience. 
Food and drink enthusiasts curious about botanical flavor principles. 
Anyone interested in the intersection of craft, creativity, and local 
ingredients.

No prior cocktail or bartending experience is required. Erhan teaches 
from first principles and the workshop is genuinely accessible to 
complete beginners.

ISTANBUL AND FARMIYO

Istanbul might seem like an unusual location for a platform focused on 
farm and food experiences. But the connection is direct.

Farmiyo is built around one idea, that the best food experiences happen 
when you get closer to ingredients, producers, and the people who 
understand them deeply. Erhan's workshop embodies this principle in an 
urban context. The botanicals he works with come from real producers and 
real landscapes. The knowledge he shares is earned through years of 
genuine practice.

The city changes. The principle stays the same.

HOW TO BOOK

The gin and botanical cocktail workshop with Erhan is available through 
Farmiyo — a platform connecting travelers and locals with authentic farm 
and food experiences across Europe and beyond.

Book the Istanbul cocktail workshop → farmiyo.com