This frozen prickly pear margarita is made with fresh prickly pear, lime juice, Cointreau, and tequila. It is refreshing, slightly sweet, and a beautiful bright pink color.Prickly pear fruit is native to Mexico and South America, but it can be found in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and parts of the Middle East. It is known for its thick spiny skin and soft, sweet, & watery interior. There are many varieties, but the most well known are green, red, yellow, brown and pink.
It’s the perfect summer fruit, it tastes like a weird combination of pear, cucumber, watermelon and pineapple. It has only one monstrous defect, besides the tiny spines that line its exterior, the flesh of the fruit is riddled with seeds. It is commonly used to make drinks, candy, or jelly.
You can find them at your local Mexican or Hispanic market. They are in season from early spring to late fall. To prepare them, use a paring knife to cut off both ends of the fruit and make a 1/4 of an inch deep cut lengthwise. Please, please, please wear gloves when working with this fruit.
Even though you can find them without the large spines at the store, the tiny and almost hair like spines remain and can get lodged in your flesh. They truly are tiny! Place your finger in between the flesh and the outer skin and simply pull back, the outer layer should come off easily. You can store them in your refrigerator for up to a week or at room temperature if you are going to eat them in one or two days.
Have I mentioned I love tequila? I know some of you must be fighting back your gag reflex just thinking about tequila, but not me. Tequila and I go way back, but that’s another story, preferably one told while drinking tequila. After you try this prickly pear margarita you might reconsider your aversion to tequila, at least I hope you do.
As far as tequila goes, we usually drink Corralejo, Don Juilo, or Clase Azul, but this time we used Cazadores which is a great option for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money. As for margaritas, I’m happy to see more bars have stopped using sour mix and creating their own flavored syrups and liquors. Did you know, margaritas in Mexico are made with lime juice, tequila, and triple sec or Cointreau? That’s it! Even if this is your first time using prickly pear, you are going to love this margarita.
The Recipe: Prickly Pear Margarita
- You can add agave syrup to sweeten the margarita if you prefer your margaritas on the sweet side.
- You can also use green prickly pear.
- Enjoy!!
Frozen Prickly Pear Margarita
Frozen Prickly pear margarita, a refreshing way to cool down this summer.
Ingredients
- 4 Red prickly pears, peeled
- ¾ cup Tequila, reposado
- ½ cup Cointreau,
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. Lime juice, fresh
- 2 cups Ice As Needed
Preparation
- Blend prickly pears on low for 60 seconds. Then blend on high for 30 seconds. Strain. Set liquid aside.
- Pour tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and prickly pear juice in blender. Add ice and blend on high.
- Serve in two salt rimmed glasses.
Recipe Video
Chef's Notes
If you would like to sweeten this margarita add 1/4 cup of agave nectar. Start with two cups of ice, but add as much as you need.
