Last updated: October 28, 2026
If you’re looking at Shukette’s drinks list and wondering what is gazoz, you’re not alone — it’s the word that stops almost every first-time guest at this Chelsea restaurant. The short answer: gazoz is a spritz-style drink built on fresh fruit, herbs, citrus and bubbles, and at Shukette it has become a signature — the glass that lands on the table next to the warm frena bread and the dips, and the one most likely to be photographed before anyone takes a sip.
Shukette is chef Ayesha Nurdjaja’s Levantine-inspired restaurant on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea, a room built around shared plates, house-made breads and a charcoal grill. The drinks program follows the same logic as the food: Mediterranean flavors, nothing heavy, everything designed to sit comfortably alongside a table full of mezze. Gazoz fits that brief perfectly — bright, aromatic and refreshing rather than strong and spirit-forward. This guide breaks down where gazoz comes from, how Shukette builds its four versions, and how to pick the right one for your table.
Menu note: Shukette’s menu does not list prices online, and dishes and drinks change with the seasons — check the restaurant’s current menu or ask your server for today’s prices before you order.
Shukette’s Gazoz at a Glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| What it is | A spritz-style drink of fresh produce, acidity, aromatics and bubbles |
| Origin of the word | “Gazoz” is the Hebrew word for soda |
| Shukette’s style | Aperitif wines and natural infusions — between an Italian spritz and a fresh-pressed soda |
| Versions on the menu | Cyprus, Tangier, Raspberry, Garden |
| Alcohol-free option | Yes — but not always printed on the menu, so ask |
| Best with | The opening breads and dips, and as a lighter closer with dessert |
What Does “Gazoz” Mean?
Gazoz is simply the Hebrew word for soda. In Israel, the word originally referred to a simple carbonated drink — soda water brightened with fresh fruit or herbs, the kind of refreshing glass you would want in serious heat. The pleasure of it was never complexity; it was freshness. Cold bubbles, something green or citrusy, a little aroma, and a drink that resets your palate instead of filling you up.
That heritage matters at Shukette because the whole menu works the same way. The food is Levantine-inspired — Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese flavors, built for sharing — so a drink with Israeli soda-stand roots is not a gimmick here. It is the beverage version of the menu’s philosophy: familiar building blocks, handled with a light touch, served in a format that encourages the table to keep ordering and sharing rather than committing to one heavy glass each.
How Shukette Builds a Gazoz
Shukette takes the simple formula — fresh produce, acidity, something aromatic, and bubbles — and builds it out with aperitif wines and natural infusions. The result lands somewhere between a classic Italian spritz and a fresh-pressed soda: lighter and more food-friendly than most cocktails, but more layered than a soft drink.
A few things follow from that construction. First, a gazoz is meant to be drunk with food, not before it — the acidity and herbs are calibrated for dips, grilled breads and charcoal smoke, not for sipping alone at a bar. Second, each version leans on a different fresh ingredient as its headline, so the four glasses taste genuinely different from one another rather than like variations on one base. Third, because the builds use aperitif wines like fino sherry and vermouth instead of hard spirits, the drinks stay relatively gentle — you can have one with the dips and another with dessert without derailing the meal.
The Four Gazoz at Shukette
| Gazoz | What’s in it | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | Cucumber, dill, lemon, riesling, fino sherry, Dolin Blanc | The most savory of the four |
| Tangier | Grapefruit, lemon, pilsner, Cocchi Americano, fino sherry | Bitter-citrus, closest to a classic spritz |
| Raspberry | Sumac, lemon, brut sparkling, blanc vermouth | The most straightforwardly fruity |
| Garden | Sugar snap pea, cucumber, lemon, soda, fino sherry | The lightest and most vegetal |
Cyprus is the savory outlier: cucumber and dill give it a cool, green, almost salad-like freshness, while riesling and fino sherry keep it dry. It is the version regulars pair with the opening dips, and it makes sense why — a savory drink next to rich hummus and labneh cuts through the fat the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Tangier is the one to order if you usually reach for an Aperol spritz. Grapefruit and Cocchi Americano lean bitter, the pilsner adds a malty fizz, and the whole thing lands noticeably less sweet than the Italian classic. It is the most “cocktail-like” of the four in structure, while staying light.
Raspberry is the crowd-pleaser — the most straightforwardly fruity glass on the list, with sumac adding a tart, almost sour-candy edge behind the fruit and brut sparkling wine keeping it dry rather than jammy.
Garden is the lightest pour: sugar snap pea and cucumber over soda and fino sherry, vegetal and delicate, closer to a garden cocktail than to a dessert-adjacent drink. If you want something that behaves almost like a palate cleanser between courses, this is the one.
How to Pick Your Gazoz
Work backwards from what you normally drink. Spritz drinkers should start with Tangier. Anyone who orders savory, herbal drinks — or who is starting with a table full of dips — should go Cyprus. Fruit-first drinkers will be happiest with Raspberry. And if you want the gentlest glass on the menu, whether because it is a weeknight or because the table is ordering heavily from the grill, Garden is the lightest and most refreshing option.
There is also a timing decision. A gazoz works at two points in the meal: at the start, alongside the breads and dips, where its acidity earns its keep; and again at the end, where a light, bubbly glass sits far better after charcoal-grilled food than a heavy cocktail would. More than a few tables order one to open and a different one to close — Cyprus first, Raspberry with dessert is a well-worn path.
Non-Alcoholic Gazoz: You Have to Ask
Shukette also makes non-alcoholic versions of its gazoz, keeping the fresh produce and soda base and leaving out the aperitif wines. The catch: the non-alcoholic list is not always printed alongside the full drinks menu, so you will not necessarily see it when you sit down. Ask your server directly — the kitchen builds these drinks to order, and the alcohol-free versions are a real part of the program, not an afterthought. For a menu so built around sharing, it is a quietly thoughtful touch: everyone at the table gets a proper glass, whatever they are drinking.
What to Eat With a Gazoz
Gazoz was designed for the first twenty minutes of a Shukette meal — the bread-and-dip course. The savory Cyprus next to Not Your Average Hummus or the Beet Tzatziki is the classic pairing, and a Tangier alongside the grilled breads works almost like a spritz with antipasti. The drinks also hold up against the charcoal section, where something cold, acidic and bubbly is exactly what rich, smoky food wants. For the full picture of what to order around your glass, see our Shukette menu guide, which walks through the breads, dips, small plates and grill dishes in order.
FAQs
What is gazoz?
Gazoz is the Hebrew word for soda. At Shukette it is a spritz-style drink built on fresh fruit, herbs, citrus and bubbles, extended with aperitif wines and natural infusions — somewhere between an Italian spritz and a fresh-pressed soda.
Which gazoz should I order first at Shukette?
If you like a classic spritz, start with Tangier — it is the closest match, but less sweet. For the dips course, Cyprus is the most savory and the regulars’ pairing.
Does Shukette serve non-alcoholic gazoz?
Yes. Alcohol-free versions keep the fresh produce and soda base without the aperitif wines, but they are not always printed on the menu — ask your server.
Is gazoz sweet?
Not especially. The four versions range from savory (Cyprus) to fruity (Raspberry), but the builds lean dry and bitter-citrus rather than sugary, so they work with food.
What food pairs best with gazoz at Shukette?
The opening breads and dips are the natural pairing, and a light gazoz also works as a closer alongside the tahini soft serve dessert, the Mic Drop.
Before You Go
Order your first gazoz when the breads land, not after — these drinks were built for the rip-and-dip course. Remember that the menu does not list prices online and the drinks rotate with the seasons, so check the restaurant’s current menu or ask your server for today’s prices before you order. If anyone at the table is not drinking, ask about the non-alcoholic gazoz by name; it is part of the program even when it is not printed. And if you are choosing between two versions, let the food decide: savory Cyprus for dips, bitter Tangier for the grill, fruity Raspberry for dessert, gentle Garden for everything in between.
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