Cinco de Mayo Countdown: Prickly Pear Margarita
Our countdown to a day-long fiesta begins ambitiously, with a recipe not for the faint of heart — or fingers.
We found these instructions for an authentic, Texas-inspired Prickly Pear ‘Rita at Saveur.com, and if a pair of leather gloves isn’t among your typical kitchen tools, now might be the time to visit the garage. Sweet Southwestern prickly pears usually find their way to local markets having been cleaned of their tiny thorns, but if you get one fresh off the cactus, it will require scrubbing (with gloves!) before infusing. Otherwise, see left.
FOR PRICKLY PEAR-INFUSED TEQUILA:
10 prickly pear fruits
1 750-ml bottle of silver tequila
FOR MARGARITA:
1 tequila-infused prickly pear
4 oz. prickly pear–infused tequila
2 oz. frozen limeade
1 1⁄2 oz. Cointreau
To infuse tequila, peel prickly pears; put into a glass jar. Pour in tequila, seal jar, and let steep for at least 2 days.
To make margaritas, mash 1 prickly pear through a mesh strainer into a bowl; discard seeds. Combine prickly pear–infused tequila, 2 cups crushed ice, limeade, Cointreau, and the mashed prickly pear in blender; purée until slushy. Serves two.
