Prickly Pear Margarita

Refreshingly tart and sweet, this beautiful Prickly Pear Margarita definitely hits the spot! Prickly pear syrup (aka: cactus pear), fresh lime juice, Cointreau, and blanco tequila, are shaken then poured over ice to make the perfect drink. Try this delicious margarita recipe for one, or make it for a crowd and watch this unique cocktail be the talk of the party!

This cactus pear margarita is the perfect cocktail for a casual gathering, your Super Bowl party, or a Cinco de Mayo celebration. It’s a great cocktail for summer barbecues, too! To learn how to make this delicious and unique cocktail recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.

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RECIPE

(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)

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Cocktails & Drinks, Quick and Easy, Entertaining, 5 Ingredients or Less

Mexican

Servings: 1

Author: Pimp My Recipe

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PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

Refreshingly tart and sweet, this beautiful Prickly Pear Margarita definitely hits the spot! Try this delicious margarita recipe for one or make it for a crowd, and watch this unique cocktail be the talk of the party!

Prep Time: 5 MinTotal Time: 5 Min

Ingredients

• 2 ounces blanco tequila
• 1 ounce prickly pear syrup
• ½ ounce Cointreau liqueur (or ¼ ounce???)
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)

Instructions

1. Cut one slice from the center of 1 lime, then cut a slit in the lime wheel (to sit on the edge of the glass as a garnish). Using a juicer, squeeze 1 ounce fresh lime juice (about 1-2 limes). Set lime wheel garnish and juice aside.
2. Rub the rim of a 10 ounce rock glass with a lime (wedge or half). Then dip the wet rim of each glass into the margarita salt (see Note #1), and tap the glass to remove any excess. Set aside.
3. To a cocktail shaker, add 1 cup of ice cubes, 2 ounces blanco tequila, 1 ounce prickly pear syrup, ½ ounce Cointreau liqueur, and 1 ounce fresh lime juice (1-2 limes). Cover, and shake vigorously. Fill the prepared cocktail glass with fresh ice cubes, strain cocktail into the glass, and garnish with the lime wheel. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Notes

1. I like using this margarita salt that comes in its own container. If you cannot find margarita salt, spread sea salt flakes on a plate, and dip the wet rims into the salt. 
2. Recipe can be made ahead.
3. For make ahead instructions for entertaining a crowd, visit the Pimp My Recipe section for this recipe in my Blog Comments & Tips on the website.
4. Makes one 10 ounce serving (including ice cubes).

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Nutrition Facts

Sugar (grams)

29 g

Sodium (milligrams)

11.14 mg

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Protein (grams)

0.12 g

Net carbs

31.84 g

Fiber (grams)

0.11 g

Fat (grams)

0.02 g

Carbs (grams)

31.96 g

Calories

290.2 kcal

Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Optional salt rim and lime garnishes are not included in the nutritional calculations. 

https://PimpMyRecipe.com/blog/prickly-pear-margarita

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Step by Step Instructions

PREPARATION

Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.

STEP 1

Cut one slice from the center of 1 lime, then cut a slit in the lime wheel (to sit on the edge of the glass as a garnish). Using a juicer, squeeze 1 ounce fresh lime juice (about 1-2 limes). Set aside juice and lime wheel garnish.

Squeeze lime juice.

STEP 2

Rub the rim of a 10 ounce rock glass with a lime (wedge or half). Then dip the wet rim of each glass into the margarita salt (see Note below), and tap the glass to remove any excess. Set aside.

Note: I like using this margarita salt that comes in its own container. If you cannot find margarita salt, spread sea salt flakes on a plate, and dip the wet rims into the salt. 

Rub rim with lime.

Dip rim into salt.

Salt rim.

STEP 3

To a cocktail shaker, add 1 cup of ice cubes, 2 ounces blanco tequila, 1 ounce prickly pear syrup, ½ ounce Cointreau liqueur, and 1 ounce fresh lime juice (1-2 limes). Cover, and shake vigorously. Fill the prepared cocktail glass with fresh ice cubes, and strain cocktail into the glass.

Tequila.

Prickly pear syrup.

Cointreau.

Lime juice.

Shake.

Stain over ice.

SERVING

Garnish with the lime wheel, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Note: For make ahead Instructions for entertaining a crowd, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.

Notes:

1. Recipe can be made ahead!

2. Makes one 10 ounce serving (including ice cubes).

BACK TO RECIPE

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VIDEO

How to Make this Unique & Delicious Prickly Pear Margarita!

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Blog Comments & Tips

A unique and vibrant cocktail!

My Prickly Pear Margarita is tart, sweet, and delicious! Using only 4 ingredients, this easy cocktail recipe can be made for one or for a crowd. Everyone loves a margarita, which makes it a great choice to serve at any party. Enjoy it while watching the big game, at a Cinco de Mayo celebration, a backyard barbeque, or for any gathering! Believe me, this unique cocktail will be the talk of the party! 

The cocktail’s beautifully vibrant pink color is derived from the fruit of a cactus. This unique margarita recipe tastes as tart and sweet as a regular margarita, but with the special flavor of prickly pear. The prickly pear, also known as a cactus pear, is a small red fruit that is super juicy, sweet, and very colorful. This spiny fruit is oval in shape, has lots of edible seeds, and tastes a bit like a cross between a kiwi, melon, cucumber, and citrus. A native plant to Latin America, this popular fruit is very high in antioxidants, fiber, and carotenoids. 

Although you can make prickly pear syrup from scratch, I cheated and used store bought prickly pear syrup to save on time. Although this hassle-free cocktail recipe is for one serving, it’s an easy recipe to make ahead when you are entertaining a crowd. I first made this cocktail for a Super Bowl party I hosted years ago. It was so popular that my husband and I had to scramble to make more!

How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?

My 5 tips to making this unique Prickly Pear Margarita:

1. Use a great quality blanco (or silver) tequila. I typically prefer using El Padrino Blanco Tequila, but I ran out and used Corralejo Silver Tequila for this recipe photo shoot instead. Both are great Tequilas. 

2. Use fresh squeezed lime juice. Do NOT use bottled. 

3. Although you could use triple sec in this recipe, I prefer the flavor of Cointreau liqueur for this margarita. 

4. Finest Call Premium Prickly Pear Syrup is an affordable brand that is easy to find. Another great option would be to use Liquid Alchemist Prickly Pear Syrup. 

5. If you are entertaining, prep all your glasses and garnishes ahead of time.  

It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe. 

Pimp My Recipe:

• Make it Sweeter: Add up to 1 ½ ounces of prickly pear syrup, or to taste. If you like a prominent flavor of orange liqueur, you can add up to ¾ ounce of Cointreau liqueur, which also adds more sweetness. 

• Make Ahead Instructions: Although this is a single serving recipe, it’s easy to make ahead of time when you are entertaining a crowd. Prep the garnishes in advance by dipping rims of all the glasses into lime juice, then into the salt, and set aside. Pre-slice all the lime wheels, place them in a Ziploc bag, and refrigerate until ready to use. To prepare the margarita mixture in advance, just add the lime juice, Cointreau liqueur, Tequila, and prickly pear syrup to a pitcher, and stir to combine. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve. As guests arrive, fill prepared cocktail glasses with fresh ice cubes, and garnish with lime wheels. Then stir mixture in the pitcher, pour up to two servings at a time (4 ½ ounces per serving) into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, and shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glasses, and serve!  

Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.

Santé!

Mich

Footnote: Remember to prep your garnish and salt rim on the glass ahead of time. It’s especially helpful when entertaining!

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Adapted from the Cactus Pear Margaritas recipe by Bobby Flay. I changed up the quantities and switched out the juice for prickly pear syrup. Cactus pear juice is difficult to find, so the syrup was an easy and convenient change. The ratios in my version of this margarita have a much better balance, with just a hint of prickly pear flavor.

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