Kick off the weekend with these beautiful, refreshing Prickly Pear Margaritas, made with freshly juiced prickly pears!
Hi friends and happy FRI-YAY! I am so pumped to be sharing these absolutely gorgeous cocktails today. To celebrate the almost-weekend, I have made you these fabulous Prickly Pear Margaritas! Prickly pears are not the most common fruit out there, but if you can get your hands on them... never let them go! These little fruits are so sweet, juicy, and that bright pink color is to die for! You can eat them as-is, of course, but everything is better in a margarita. 😉 Let's go make them!
So let's talk about life! After a month off to work on my master's project {and travel a bit and cook up all the things}, I am now back to work! I'm working in the pediatric urgent care right now so my hours are all over the place. Please bear with me as I try to keep everything straight 🙂 And also as I frantically type this post up last-minute before I have to leave for my next shift! Worry not though, these prickly pear margaritas were made a few weeks ago and I stashed the pictures away. No I did not drink margaritas at breakfast today.
Prickly pear is kind of a funny fruit, and really the only reason I even know about it is because my mom LOVES them! I have also seen them on cocktail menus a few times before, so when we found a bunch of gorgeous prickly pears at Central Market for 4/$1... well, I knew it was meant to be! The flavor is sweet and syrupy like candy, and the color just makes these the prettiest margaritas ever! The only tricky thing with prickly pears is, well... juicing them.
Cutting them up is already a bit of work, as they have a thick skin that needs to be peeled off first. Also, you have to be careful when you buy them as some still have the spines left on!! That is because prickly pears are cactus fruit {in case you didn't know}. The flesh is soft and juicy but full of big fat seeds, so I found that the best way to juice was to place a few chunks in a couple layers of cheesecloth... and squeeze the heck out of it! Yes, I am asking you to juice by hand for these cocktails. How committed are you?! I promise these are worth it! 😉
I hope you'll whip up these delicious prickly pear margaritas when you get the chance! I promise the hardest part is just tracking down some prickly pears at the store 🙂
Looking for more yummy drinks? Check out my Homemade Peach Lime Margaritas, Pomegranate Orange Margaritas, Bahama Mama Cocktails, and {if you're feeling spooky} my Vanishing Candy Corn Cocktails!
- 1 prickly pear, cleaned, peeled, and diced (2oz juice)
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz agave syrup
- 2 oz silver tequila
- 1 oz Cointreau
- First, juice the prickly pear. Grab 2-3 layers of cheesecloth, place a few diced pieces of prickly pear in the cloth, wrap up tightly and squeeze over a small cup. 1 prickly pear should give you about 2 oz of juice, which is enough for 1 margarita.
- To make the cocktail, combine the prickly pear juice, lime juice, agave, tequila, and Cointreau in a shaker. Add in a few ice cubes, and shake until well-combined.
- Serve in a sugar-rimmed glass with crushed ice and a slice of prickly pear for garnish. Enjoy!
Ellen says
Such a pretty margarita! I'd love to try prickly pear.
Christie says
I'm going to have to find those pears! This looks so delicious. I love that color.