The Lemonista's Prickly Pear Margaritas & A Giveaway!

Did you know that some cactus are edible?
Yep.  And one cactus in particular produces a delicious fruit~ 
The Prickly Pear Cactus.


Prickly pear cactus are very common in Phoenix and the fruit this cactus produces has the most AMAZING magenta color! 




This fruit is often made into a syrup and then the syrup is used to flavor foods.  Prickly pear syrup is simply dreamy.  It has a sweet-tart taste that reminds me of a Smarties candy.  I guess I could go through the trouble of making my own but I found a local product that is so darn good that I figure, why bother? 

Cheri's Desert Harvest makes the most delicious prickly pear syrup.

http://www.cherisdesertharvest.com/pricpearcacs.html
You can pick this up at AJ's grocery store in Phoenix, but if don't live in AZ, then you can purchase this online. 

**********Giveaway Alert**********  

I picked up an extra bottle of Cheri's Prickly Pear Syrup for my beloved blog followers.  So leave a comment on this post and I'll do a drawing on Sunday 2/20 and ship a bottle to the winner's front door.  :-)

There are many great recipe suggestions on Cheri's Desert Harvest website www.cherisdesertharvest.com/recipes.html, but I find adding this syrup to anything with citrus results in the perfect harmony of flavors.  Being a margarita gal. I always order a prickly pear margarita whenever it's an available option. I've been playing around with my own perfect prickly pear margarita for a couple of years now. I'm happy to report that last summer I finally perfected it. (You can ask my neighbor Stephanie who suffered through the taste tests! LOL!! ) Not only is this drink amazingly delicious, it is also one of the prettiest drinks I've ever seen. Don't take my word for it, however. Make up your own batch and be the judge. This triumph of a drink will have you smacking your lips together and grinning from ear to ear.





The Lemonista’s Prickly Pear Margaritas
Yields one pitcher.

2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 cups margarita mix
the juice of one whole lime
1 cup Patron silver tequila
1/4 cup Cuarntro or Grande Mariner
1/3 cup Prickly pear syrup

Mix all ingredients.  Serve on the rocks with a salted rim glass.

ENJOY!

***Updated with my favorite Margarita mix!  Thanks Corina for your question.
I LOVE Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy's Margarita Mix. 

I find this at Safeway or Vonns grocery store, but you can order online if you cannot find it at your local grocery store. 

~The Lemonista

*In full disclosure, Mike took my camera on his trip this week, so all of the photos on this post have been "borrowed" from the Internet. If I take any of the photos down, then you'll know I got dinged. Wink.