Prickly Pear Margarita

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/12/21
Prickly Pear Margarita
AnnaPustynnikova / Getty Images
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Infusion: 48 hrs
Total: 48 hrs 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

The unique taste of a prickly pear margarita is welcome the change of pace from the average fruity margarita recipe. It offers the distinct taste of the fruit from Opuntia cactus plants and there are a number of ways you can capture that flavor in your margarita.

This recipe begins with a homemade infusion of prickly pear fruits into tequila. It's a fun little project that should take just a few days to complete. If you like, there are other ways to create a similar taste, with variations that offer the options of using prickly pear syrup or a muddle of the fruits themselves. However you choose to make this margarita, it's sure to be an entertaining experience.

Ingredients

For the Prickly Pear-Infused Tequila:

  • 6 prickly pears, peeled

  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle blanco tequila

For the Cocktail:

  • Granulated sugar, or coarse salt, for optional rim

  • 2 1/2 ounces prickly pear-infused tequila

  • 1/2 ounce triple sec

  • 2 ounces sour mix

  • 1/2 ounce orange juice

  • 1 dash grenadine

  • Lime wheel, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Prickly Pear-Infused Tequila

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Cut the peeled prickly pears in half and place in a widemouthed infusion jar. Cover with the tequila.

  3. Seal the jar, shake well, and store in a cool, dark place. Check the infusion after two days to see how the flavor has developed. Let it infuse longer if needed, tasting it daily.

  4. Once the flavor reaches your desired intensity strain out the prickly pears—use a fine mesh strainer to catch all the seeds.

  5. Rebottle the tequila and store just like any other liquor.

Make the Prickly Pear Margarita

  1. If you like, add a sugar or salt rim to a chilled margarita glass. Use a piece of lime to wet the rim before rolling it in sugar or salt.

  2. In a cocktail shaker, pour the prickly pear tequila, triple sec, sour mix, orange juice, and grenadine.

  3. Fill with ice and shake well.

  4. Strain into the prepared glass.

  5. Garnish with a lime wheel. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Variations

  • If you prefer, serve this margarita on the rocks or blended with about 1 cup of ice.
  • Replace the prickly pear-flavored tequila with blanco tequila and use a prickly pear syrup instead (it's relatively easy to find, or you can make the syrup from fresh prickly pears). For this variation, pour 1 1/2 ounces tequila and 1 ounce of the syrup. Keep the other ingredients the same.
  • Another option with unflavored tequila is to muddle a fresh prickly pear in the cocktail shaker before adding the other ingredients. You'll want to fine strain this drink—use your regular cocktail strainer while pouring through a fine mesh strainer—to catch all those pesky seeds.
  • Finally, you can pour a prickly pear-flavored distilled spirit instead of the syrup. These are rare, but distilleries like the Texas Moonshine Company offer it. Apparently, the taste of this one is reminiscent of tequila, so you could even pour the Texas Prickly Pear Cactus Spirit instead of tequila.

How Strong Is a Prickly Pear Margarita?

As with most shaken margaritas, don't expect this one to be a light drink. When made with 80-proof tequila, it should mix up to an alcohol content around 20 percent ABV (40 proof). That's half the strength of a shot of tequila.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
309 Calories
0g Fat
35g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 309
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 6mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 34mg 172%
Calcium 28mg 2%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 130mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)