Istanbul's trendy night spots are due for a facelift when a new law comes into effect next week, ordering an end to all advertisements for alcohol brands.
Whether the blue, white and gold logo of the local Efes pilsner, the various markings of Turkey's signature anis-flavoured arak drink or the omnipresent black-and-white Number 7 of Jack Daniels, it is all set to come down.
"We have to cover up the logos, inside the shop and outside," explains Ahmet, a kiosk owner on a street crowded with bars and restaurants in the popular Beyoglu district.
Like many alcohol salesmen, he declined to use his real name in a conservative country where the government is tightening the reins on alcohol sales, ostensibly to protect young people and children.
Last year, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government banned the sale of alcohol in shops - with exceptions for bars, restaurants and clubs - after 10pm.
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While the government said this was to curb excessive drinking by the youth and bring Turkey in line with many European countries, opponents saw it as a religion-based dictate, organised by an Islamist-rooted movement, the ruling Justice and Development Party.
"You can have written on the outside 'Efes shop' or even just 'beer for sale,' but you cannot have an official logo of a brand," says Ahmet, explaining the new law, a copy of which he keeps behind the counter.
Most of the storefronts on small alcohol shops, known as tekels, are paid for by brands, as a form of advertising.
"Efes said they will come next week and change the signs for us," the shop owner explains. He hopes to avoid getting a hefty fine.
The company itself has removed all logos from its corporate website and has taken down its promotional website in Turkey, leaving a message saying "we know each other without having to see each other".
"It's really stupid," says Murat, the owner of a popular bar where Turkish, German and English can be overheard on a busy night.
"But it is the law now, and we must follow it."
He points at a long list of cocktails posted on a length-wise sign hanging outside, near the heaving Istiklal shopping street, and notes that as long as no brand's logo is visible, the billboard can stay.
"We won't be losing business over this new law. So why did they do this? I think they are just crazy," he adds.
While the 10pm cut-off introduced last year has been an inconvenience, many people in Istanbul just shrug it off.
"Of course it is possible to buy beer after 10," laughs Ahmet, the kiosk owner.
At one kiosk, at 11 pm, the clerk asks for a customer's rucksack and then packs it, under the counter, with several bottles of beer. He zips it up and hands it back.
"This is my business and this is a way for me to earn money," he says of flouting the law.
Some businesses make it even easier for their clients to avoid having to plan ahead.
Shops all over the city offer home-delivery services that extend to midnight.
