This just in: prickly pear margaritas are nature’s gift. If nature is named Jose Cuervo, but whatever. They’re so good, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about them since I had one. If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, a prickly pear is the fruit produced by Nopales cactus… those flat wide ones with the purple doodad at the top. Like these.
Lushy and her mom are in town, so we all went to The Prado on Saturday for lunch with GFI and Modigli. That is probably in my top 3 places to eat in San Diego. The architecture, the gorgeous park… the giant vats of sangria… what more could you ask for? Normally, sangria is what I would go for, but since I’d never had a prickly pear, let alone a margarita made from one, I decided to live large. So I had two. I would have had three, but I was too full.
I can’t quite describe the taste… it’s tart and sweet and a wee bit sour, but not too sour. You don’t taste the liquor, really, yet you know it’s there. It’s an easy-drinkin’ cocktail, my friends. I’m now hell-bent on making them at home.
Here’s my assessment of their recipe, based on a combo of what their menu said, your basic top-shelf, Cadillac-style margarita and the addictive experience I had with it.
Prickly Pear Margarita
- 2 parts tequila of your choice (I prefer silver tequila, personally… Hornitos or Petron, preferably, but whatever you like)
- 1 part Grand Marnier
- 1 part prickly pear juice
- 1/2 part fresh lime juice
- 1 part simple syrup
You can shake with ice and strain into a glass rimmed with salt OR, how I had it, throw it in a blender with as much ice as you like and serve it frozen. I didn’t have salt and personally, I think either a sugar/salt blend or no salt at all on the rim would be ideal. Squeeze o’ lime. Viola!… alcoholic orgasm.
Don’t say I never gave you nothin’.