Thursday, May 23, 2013

Prickly pear perfect

We've been blessed with unseasonably pleasant weather this spring, with semi-cool nights, low-ish humidity, sitting outside for dinner weather.  All until this week, when the Texas summer bore down like it usually does only in April, rather than almost June.  With the cooler temperatures, I had not been inspired to make all sorts of margaritas, but rather happy to drink ice cold Big Bark from our kegerator.  Tonight, that changed, and it is now officially margarita season in our house.

I made a favorite with some different ingredients.  Namely, I picked up a bottle of Controy sometime last year, as I was looking for a more affordable orange liqueur that was not quite as cheap as triple sec.  I had never seen this one on the shelves before, and it had "Pura Vida" on the label.  I was taken back to my days in Costa Rica, and I was sold.  Apparently it is a product of Mexico, only available since last summer in the US, and purported to be the original margarita orange liqueur.  Who knows, but it sure makes a nice marg!

The prickly pear puree is store bought.  I attempted making some several years ago, but they have baby fine spines all over the skin, and you have to boil them, peel them, puree them and strain them all for a small amount of puree.  You get these little spines that you can't see embedded in your skin.  And if you don't get enough out during the processing and you ingest them, things could get ugly.  So this is one thing I am willing to buy in the store rather than make myself.....

The margarita recipe is standard for 2 drinks:

4 oz silver tequila
1.5 oz Controy
2/3 oz or less simple syrup
1 lime - juiced
3-4 tsp of frozen/slightly slushy prickly pear puree

Shake, strain over ice, and serve in a salted rim glass.

The beauty of the pink is ethereal and they taste pretty darn good too.


1 comment:

  1. This sounds delicious! I want to try this one next :)

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