The drink that goes with doner kebabs

Dressed in jeans and trainers, Roman Will and Jan Plewinski (both in their early 30s) look like two guys you wouldn't mind joining for a night at the pub. Or for some lunch at a Turkish takeaway. These just so happen to be the two places where their business idea was born. The two friends love stuffed flat breads; the spicier, the better. So, wouldn't it be great if there was the perfect drink to go with your kebab? After all, you've got burger and a beer, or chips and a coke. But what goes with a doner kebab?

Once you've put a question like this out there, it will keep the conversation at the pub going all night long. And yet, the drink needs to serve an additional purpose, one that is pretty obvious. It needs to freshen your breath so that, after enjoying the spicy flavours of a Turkish kebab, you are ready to go on a date or even to a job interview.

They approach a beverage bottler to see if he can develop the product for them — too complicated, too expensive, he turns them down. He does, however, recommend Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences. This turns out to be a stroke of luck as one of the professors agrees to take on the project. A specialist in drinks technology, he and his students test the composition of flavours, adding various types of chlorophyll to the mix. However, in order to receive market approval, the drink must not change in colour, form or flavour.

The question as to whether chlorophyll extracted from nettles, alfalfa and grass is even suited for this purpose is unclear. The substance is sensitive to sunlight and heat. Complicated tests using incubators and UV radiation simulate the storage process. "We had to suffer a few setbacks. However, now I can talk about micro-organisms, yeast formation and flocculating sherbet almost as much as music," says Mr Will.

Nowadays, Papa Türk can be found on the shelves at all supermarkets in the "real" chain; lots of fast food and drinks shops also sell the "Kuss-Brause" (kissing pop), as the drink is also called. One such shop is located in the Steintor district of Bremen. Roman Will gets off the tram here and winds his way through shops, pubs, shisha bars and cafes towards the large Kiosko Amigos. Nageeb, who runs the establishment with his cousin, greets Roman with a warm hug: "How's it going, my friend? How's business?"

The kiosk was one of the first outlets to sell Papa Türk, alongside shisha tobacco, beer and crisps. "Drinks containing mint are very popular in our home country. And now the guys are doing the same in Bremen, so of course I'm going to support them. Lots of customers buy Papa Türk because it is local and because it's something special," says Nageeb. The fact that this green drink also goes perfectly with rum was demonstrated at a tasting session at the kiosk. A well-known figure from the hip-hop scene appeared and soon a colourful crowd had taken over the entire street. That is, until the police appeared and broke up the party. Since then, the "Amigos" have toned things down a bit.