A work colleague has Prickly Pear Cacti in her yard in Santa Cruz and the fruits are now in season so I was lucky enough to be given a bag. Getting to the fruit on the inside is tricky and there are several websites showing how it's done safely. We had about 14 fruit and yielded about 10oz of the juice for this cocktail. It's amazingly sweet and brightly purple-red colored. You can also find the juice frozen in some stores in parts of the U.S.A! If you don't have access to prickly pear fruit juice you can use strawberry juice instead.
Glass prep: Rim two martini or cocktail glasses in agave nectar then in kosher salt.
In a cocktail mixer add
1 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
4 1/2 oz. fresh Prickly Pear Cactus juice (or frozen if you don't have fresh)
4 oz. tequila blanco (I used Milagro brand)
2 oz. Cointreau
Shake over crushed ice and pour into the prepared glasses. Yields 2 brightly colored and naturally sweet cocktails!
Here's a link to juicing instructions for prickly pear fruit (only do this if you are comfortable you can do it without getting hurt - else buy the frozen prepared juice/pulp): http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-eat-prickly-pear-aka-cactus-fruit-aka-tunas/
Note we used a juicer machine once we extracted the edible pulp from the inside of the fruit and that worked fine in place of a food mill.
Come on, you knew this one was coming! Yes, in keeping with the U.S.A. tradition of Thanksgiving and the ubiquitous Turkey entree, we have to have a cocktail that celebrates the fowl part of the holiday. Therefore, this cocktail will use the good-olde-American whiskey called Wild Turkey. It's a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey - very Old West while hailing from the East (since 1855)!
This is a sipper cocktail that is nice to have while cooking that holiday bird or dressing the tree.
To a double glass add:
2 oz of Wild Turkey Whiskey (81 proof - you have work to do! 101 proof just won't cut it...)
about a half ounce of fresh squeezed orange juice
about a half ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice
a good squeeze of honey
Stir then garnish with orange peel and a stalk of lemon-thyme in a maraschino cherry. Add a couple of 'ice-cubes' (the non-water kind).
That's the drink - Gobble, gobble!
I was daydreaming about Baja Mexico when I came up with this one. This margarita will give you a tingle on your lips from the cayenne in the rimming sugar/salt.
Rimming mix:
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
mix above then dust with cayenne pepper and mix again
Shaker:
Fresh squeezed tangerine juice (3 oz)
Fresh squeezed lime juice (1 oz)
2 1/2 oz of good quality 100% blue agave reposado tequila (I used Herradura)
1 oz of Agavero liqueur
Garnish:
cilantro
jalapeno pepper
To build the cocktail:
Rub some cilantro in your hands to release the oils and then rub the inside of the glass well with the crushed cilantro. Rub rim of glass with left over lime and then rim in the sugar/salt mix. Shake the cocktail over crushed ice then strain into your prepared glass. Garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro and a couple of jalapeno rings.
Notes:
If you can't find Agavero you can use Damiana or Cointreau or another Agave nectar liqueur. If you want a spicier cocktail you can sprinkle some cayenne into your shaker.
The Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) is a native of Mexico and extends from the southwest U.S. into central America.
If you want to know more about the Eugenes fulgens see this scientific paper at https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v089n02/p0357-p0363.pdf.
Cheers!
A work colleague has Prickly Pear Cacti in her yard in Santa Cruz and the fruits are now in season so I was lucky enough to be given a bag. Getting to the fruit on the inside is tricky and there are several websites showing how it's done safely. We had about 14 fruit and yielded about 10oz of the juice for this cocktail. It's amazingly sweet and brightly purple-red colored. You can also find the juice frozen in some stores in parts of the U.S.A! If you don't have access to prickly pear fruit juice you can use strawberry juice instead.
