To eat southwestern, head north. When folks drink and dine at Kachina Southwestern Grill in Westminster, bar manager Nick Tarsi hopes they leave tasting something they have never had before.

“Drinks,” he says, “should have a beginning, middle and an end.” The first sip of a cocktail will be different from the last giving the imbiber a complex and unique drinking experience. He also serves what he calls “rounded” cocktails, flavors that don’t lean too far to one side of the flavor spectrum, and always have the taste of the spirit come through. To get the best out of his cocktails the bar uses fresh fruits, house-squeezed juices and house-infused spirits. For his new fall cocktail menu he has continued serving the classics alongside some new drinks that will capture the imagination.

The Marg is Kachina’s specialty and the drink is a simple as a margarita should be. Tarsi starts with a half-salted glass rim because he doesn’t want to overwhelm the taste buds with one flavor. The drink includes Sauza reposado 100% de agave, lime and Patron citronge. The citronge provides the sweet to temper the tart of the lime. However, the full body of the tequila comes through. Tarsi says that when using premium spirits like Sauza in a drink, he wants the taste of the spirit to be featured, not covered up. This classic cocktail is smooth and tart to the tongue with a perfect blend of the lime and the tequila, exactly what Tarsi wants to accomplish.

For those who prefer something more complex, consider the Prickly Pixie Margarita. This cocktail starts with a half-sugar rim, again not going overboard on the taste scale. The drink contains Hornitos Reposado, house-made prickly pear puree, triple sec and lime. The mere sight of the cocktail’s shocking pink color is enough to let people know this is no ordinary drink. Even with the sweetness of the sugar rim and the puree, this is still a margarita, perfect so sipping on Kachina’s cosy outdoor veranda.

For grape lovers, the Southwest Sangria is a must try. The bar makes it in small batches with both red and white wine. Tarsi also likes to use mulling spices and in season fruits to really bring out the flavors. Right now the sangria is very berry and citrus forward, but that will change as fall gives way to winter. Tarsi points out that he does not use sugar in his sangria or in any drink. He wants the natural sweetness of the ingredients to come through, although guests can request sugar to their cocktails or add sweetener to their sangria if they wish. 

For fall Tarsi has adding two drinks to the cocktail menu:  The Throwback, a herbal tea-infused Old Fashioned and the Boulder Falls using local spirits Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and Leopold Bros. American Orange Liqueur. The Throwback uses Templeton Rye Bourbon that Tarsi steeps with tea. The Boulder Falls pairs the whiskey and orange liqueur with an agave steeped with hibiscus water. Like his other cocktails, the Boulder Falls has a sweet smoothness from the hibiscus water to “round out” the whiskey while the sweetness is tempered by the orange liqueur, which itself is mitigated by the taste of the whiskey and so on and so on. This drink has come full circle. Look for both cocktails starting October 1.

Located inside the Westin Westminster, Kachina Southwestern Grill offers happy hour daily from 2 to 6 PM and includes $3 select drafts, $4 sangrias and $5 margaritas along with a selection of small plates. Tarsi continues to work on building Kachina’s tequila selection. Currently Kachina offers 85 different tequilas, all 100% agave, and you can order flights or even build your own.

10600 Westminster Blvd.; 303-410-5813

Photos by Carrie Dow