Prickly Pear Margaritas (with Homemade or Bottled Syrup)

When I first wrote about prickly pear margaritas here in 2016, I was a more… I don’t want to say snobby person, exactly. But I had certain ideas on what was preferable in my kitchen. Homemade over bottled. Fresh over packaged.

I was also a little more ambitious, with energy to spare on sourcing hard-to-find ingredients and spending hours processing and cooking them.

Now I am an older, slightly more tired person. And I don’t always want to source fresh prickly pear fruit to make my margaritas.

I also found a fantastic brand of prickly pear syrup that’s up to my standards in taste. So, as in my prickly pear lemonade, I use this syrup to bring the party to my drinks.

My husband and I went through a big prickly pear marg phase during the first few months of the pandemic, when we were missing our cross-country Route 66 road trip adventures.

Inspired by the margaritas we sampled all the way through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, I made batch after batch of bright pink drinks using only pre-made syrups purchased online.

And during that time, I refined my process significantly.

This is a much simplified version of my original, high-maintenance version of prickly pear margaritas. And honestly, I don’t miss the work.

Nor do I truly think this prickly pear margarita tastes any less mind-blowing than my initial recipe.

What if I have fresh prickly pear fruit?

Don’t worry! For those of you who still want to make yours with homemade syrup — as I still do when I can find fresh prickly pears in season — I have both options included in the recipe below.

A fresh prickly pear has a delicate, slightly vegetal sweetness; though the color would make you think otherwise, it’s not a strong taste.

So it’s important not to mask that subtle flavor with too many other ingredients in your drink.

My prickly pear syrup recipe is, again, quite simple:

• scoop out the pulpy innards of the fruit
• simmer with sugar and water
• strain and chill until needed

So if you live in a climate that can support the growth of these gorgeous cactus fruits, by all means — make homemade syrup with abandon.

I certainly would if I had a backyard brimming with opuntia cactus. (A girl can dream!)

What prickly pear syrup should I use?

As I noted in my prickly pear lemonade recipe, I always keep a bottle of Cheri’s Desert Harvest prickly pear syrup in my refrigerator.

This Tucson-based company makes quality prickly pear products with real fruit, not artificial flavors or colors. The taste of prickly pear comes through clearly in his syrup and I appreciate that it’s not sickly sweet.

You can order syrup and other items directly through Cheri’s or on Amazon.

As with all product recommendations on this site, I do not receive any compensation from any company for inclusion beyond my Amazon affiliate links.

All recommendations that I make are earned the old-fashioned way: through my own purchases, testing, and daily use.

Drinking these prickly pear margaritas puts me in the mood for adventure.

Just one sip reminds me of hiking in the Chisos Mountains within Big Bend National Park, kicking back at the Hotel Paisano in Marfa, and watching a storm swirl through the South Rim of the Grand Canyon while I cozy up at the historic El Tovar.

If you have a hankering for the Southwest but can’t drive off into the desert right now, this is the next best thing.

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Prickly Pear Margaritas

Yield: 2 drinks

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prickly pear margaritas are beautiful and taste even better than they look. Make this cocktail recipe with homemade syrup or bottled syrup for a tart and tangy classic tequila drink.

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Ingredients

Homemade Syrup

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• 1 pound fresh prickly pear fruit
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Margarita

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• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (57 grams) prickly pear syrup —homemade or purchased
• 1/4 cup (85 grams) agave nectar
• 6 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) tequila
• 2/3 cup strained fresh lime juice

Instructions

If you want to make homemade prickly pear syrup:

1. Slice each prickly pear fruit in half. It doesn't matter if you do it lengthwise or through the equator, just slice 'em.
2. Scoop the fleshy, pulpy innards out and place in a medium (1- to 2-quart) saucepan.
3. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup water.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.
5. If the mixture is too pulpy and not liquid enough, add the remaining 1/4 cup water.
6. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring as needed to help the prickly pear pulp break down until it's very soft and no longer chunky.
7. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool for about 10 minutes.
8. Carefully strain the hot syrup into a clean jar.
9. Chill for at least 1 hour or until needed. Syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 month.

Make the margaritas:

1. Slice one of your limes before you juice them. Use the cut edge of the lime to wet the rims of 2 12-ounce cocktail glasses.
2. Pour the salt onto a small plate. Turn the lime-juiced edges of the glasses in the salt until coated.
3. Fill the salt-rimmed glasses with ice.
4. Add a few handfuls of ice to a cocktail shaker.
5. Add the prickly pear syrup, agave nectar, tequila, and lime juice to the shaker.
6. Seal tightly and shake for 30 seconds.
7. Strain into the glasses and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1928mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 11gSugar: 31gProtein: 3g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.

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