Koruk is the Turkish name for unripe grapes, prized for their brisk acidity long before the fruit becomes sweet. The Ankara entry published by the provincial culture and tourism authority uses only koruk, granulated sugar and water. This home-scale recipe keeps that spare formula and the traditional cold method while translating the official proportions into a manageable pitcher.
Koruk Şerbeti — Recipe Card
Cold Turkish Drink from Unripe Green Grapes
Makes 8 servings · Makes about 1.4 litres, enough for 8 small glasses.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Koruk Şerbeti
Sort and wash the koruk
Discard any grapes that are bruised, split or mouldy. Rinse the clusters thoroughly under cool running water, drain well, then remove every grape from its stem. Do not use soap or produce wash.
Crush the grapes
Put the grapes in a wide, non-reactive bowl. Crush firmly with a potato masher or the end of a clean rolling pin until all the skins have split and plenty of pale juice has collected. Avoid grinding the seeds.
Make the first strain
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl. Tip in the crushed grapes and press the fruit with the back of a spoon to extract the juice. Stop before forcing seed fragments through the sieve.
Dissolve the sugar
Add the granulated sugar to the strained koruk juice. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, then leave for 5 minutes and stir again, until no gritty sugar remains at the bottom.
Dilute and fine-strain
Stir in all 720 ml (3 cups) cold water. Line the cleaned sieve with damp cheesecloth and strain the drink into a clean pitcher. Let it drip naturally, then gather the cloth and press only lightly so heavy sediment stays behind.
Chill and serve
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Stir once before pouring into 8 small glasses and serve cold.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-green-grape-sherbet-koruk-serbeti. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Choosing koruk
Use very firm, distinctly tart green grapes picked before ripening. Sweet ripe table grapes do not provide the same acidity and will produce a different drink.
Official proportion
The Ankara source uses 3 kg koruk, 5 glasses sugar and 10 to 12 glasses water. This version scales that formula to 1 kg fruit with 280 g sugar and 720 ml water.
Food safety
Because this sherbet is unpasteurized, wash the grapes under running water, use clean equipment and refrigerate the finished drink promptly at 4°C (40°F) or below.
Dietary notes
The three-ingredient recipe is vegan and gluten-free as written. These labels describe the ingredients, not certification or freedom from shared-kitchen cross-contact.
How to store and reheat Koruk Şerbeti
Keep covered at 4°C (40°F) or below and drink within 2 days. Do not leave the unpasteurized sherbet at room temperature for more than 2 hours; discard it if it develops fermentation, fizzing or an off smell.
Koruk Şerbeti: questions and answers
Is Koruk Şerbeti a frozen sorbet?
No. In Turkish, şerbet here means a sweet cold drink. Koruk Şerbeti is poured from a pitcher and served chilled, not frozen or eaten with a spoon.
Can I use ripe green grapes instead of koruk?
Ripe grapes are much sweeter and less acidic, so they will not reproduce the characteristic tart balance. For this recipe, seek out firm unripe grapes from a grower or Turkish produce market.
Why is the drink not boiled?
The official Ankara method is a cold extraction. It preserves the fresh, sharp taste of koruk, but it also means the drink must be handled cleanly, kept refrigerated and consumed promptly.
