Mastering The Art Of The Margarita

Any of my friends can attest to the fact that I DO NOT mess around with my margaritas. They're a true art form and a bad marg can turn you off for the rest of your life. I am here to redeem the margarita. And when I say margarita, I do not mean that phosphorescent frozen neon green radioactive crap.Now, when I order a margarita, I don't want it to taste like melted Sourpatch Kids candies or reflect what that calorie content would be. If you use a sweet & sour margarita mix, you might as well be slurping up congealed & frozen Sourpatch Kids. Gross. As Tina Fey/Liz Lemon would say, this is a "DEALBREAKER." Never ever ever ever ever ever use sweet & sour mix and call it a margarita, it's a disgrace to margaritas all around the world.You ask, how then can I make a real margarita? Well, I am willing to share my fabulously fresh, amazing and lower cal elixir. 

The Perfect Margarita

Coarse Sea Salt- for rim of glass

Chile Powder- I recommend "Trechas"

Ice

1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco- use 100% agave. I like Cuervo 1800

1 1/3 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice- use key limes, they're slightly sweeter than the regular lime

1/2 oz. Cointreau

1/2 Tblsp. agave nectar

1. Squeeze a few extra limes into shallow dish. 

2. In another shallow dish, mix coarse salt and Trechas chile powder together.

3. Dip rim of glass into dish of lime juice and then into dish of salt and chile powder mixture.

4. Fill glass with desired amount of ice; add lime juice, agave nectar, tequila, Cointreau in that order,  I've found it mixes best this way and melts less ice.

5. Stir a few times until evenly mixed and chilled

6. Serve and enjoy the perfect margarita!

If you are SUPER lazy and want an even quicker but still relatively low cal margarita, enjoy the one minute margarita:

One Minute Margarita

1/2 c. Simply Limeade- organic and not super sugary 

1 lime per glass you intend upon making

1 oz. tequila blanco per glass

1. Fill glass with desired amount of ice.

2. Pour tequila and simply limeade over ice.

4. Squeeze lime into glass, stir until evenly mixed and enjoy.

San Antonio, TX. boasts some awesome margaritas if you know which ones to order. My all time favorites are:

#1 SoLuna Restaurant's Margarita Chispa- Best margarita of my life. Super light, crisp and refreshing. It's made with fresh squeezed limes and all of the good stuff. I've tried to find a restaurant that serves a better margarita and I've never ever found its commensurate. Be careful though, these bad boys are muy fuerte (very strong). 

#2 Urban Taco's Margarita Classico- Great and refreshing margarita. Not quite as light and crisp as the chispa, but dang good, especially when paired with their taco trio platter. Also, Urban Taco is home of these incredibly addictive, perfectly seasoned Jicama chips that are half the carbs & calories of regular chips and not as filling. They are awesome but highly addictive.

#3 La Gloria's Margarita Classico- Also a refreshing & delicious margarita. Specializing in Mexican street food and situated in San Antonio's "it" place, the Pearl Brewery, La Gloria has a great vibe, food and most importantly, margaritas. It's the perfect place to take out-of-towners to or to visit if you're a tourist looking for great places in San Antonio.

A Daring "Palette"

As far as I'm concerned, eating is an art form; especially when it comes to refining your palate and broadening your mind to embrace the exotic. Exotic and amazingly delicious is just what my boyfriend and I recently found deep in the heart of San Antonio... Kohinoor, a little "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant serving up authentic and scrumptious Pakistani food. Most places scrimp on expensive spices and Kohinoor is not one of those places. Each dish is laden with beautiful and colorful spices and the flavor mirrors that.

Kohinoor. 8513 Starcrest Dr., San Antonio, TX. 78217

The owners and employees couldn't be more welcoming and friendly. They helped guide us through our selections, laughing along with us at our novice in the area of Pakistani cuisine. AND, they remembered us and how many times we had visited each time we stepped in the front door. I felt pretty special, not gonna lie. I couldn't urge my friends and family more to branch out and go on an adventure to Kohinoor for some yummy yummy food! Here are my suggestions for anyone cool enough to venture out and try something new!

Apparently, I was informed by my boyfriend that I was a freak for LOVING the salty lassi drink and I raised the brow of Ali, the restaurant owner's son, when I ordered it,  but I think its so refreshing and exactly what I want to drink on a hot summer day in San Antonio. Truth be told, I have had a salty Lassi before, one of my friends in college who was from Karachi, Pakistan introduced me and I acquired the taste for it. Basically, it is a traditional yogurt-based drink that is blended with water and regional spices (sometimes mint too-my fav).

The Butter chicken (pictured above) is one of our all time favs. Look at all of the herbs and spices in there, its unreal to find this high quality at such a reasonable price. This dish is pretty spicy, but I am a complete and total spice wuss. Despite the inferno in my mouth, I couldn't stop eating it because it was so so so so so so so good!

  Pictured above is the chicken karahi. AMAZING as well. The chicken was so tender it almost fell off the bone before I could eat it. The naan is as close as you can get to heaven, it tastes like you're eating a warm fluffy cloud. Honestly, I've not had one sub-par dish at Kohinoor. It isn't all that spicy, just has a lil zing to it. 

I've got a lot more to try on the menu and am sure that each new dish will be as tasty, high quality and authentic as the latter. If you're lookin' to spice up your life, I HIGHLY recommend swinging by Kohinoor!