Cocktail of the Month - Prickly Pear Margarita

As you can see, I was excited to share these with my friend (from the Texas years) Sarah, who drove over from Oklahoma for a Spring break visit. We did some good eating and drinking and sleeping, had a few good runs, and did a fair amount preschooler-approved sight-seeing. (The zoo, Union Station, Fritz's, the Crayola store...) I know, I know, it's exactly what you all dream about when you dream about Spring break.

We used the margarita machine for these (set for 2 servings), but you could just as easily use crushed ice, serve on the rocks, or strain them to enjoy straight up. Since prickly pear (i.e. cactus) juice is not exactly a staple of the rural Kansas marketplace, I ordered prickly pear puree from the Perfect Puree of Napa Valley (along with white peach and pomegranate purees to be used in the near future).

Prickly Pear Margarita

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 oz freshly-squeezed lime juice

1 oz undiluted frozen limeade

2 oz tequila

1.5 oz triple sec

1 oz prickly pear cactus juice (or puree)

Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Perform taste test and adjust for sweetness. (We found these to be perfect and refreshing without additional sugar.)

Makes 2 servings.