{friday cocktail: prickly pear margarita}

I can't even remember the first place I had a prickly pear margarita, but ever since trying one I have been on the hunt for the hard to find prickly pear or cactus flower fruit to whip up a batch for myself.  Living in Chicago certainly didn't help on my search for the elusive ingredient and I even tried finding them in Paris as super specialty store L'Epicerie with no luck.  Last weekend while grabbing breakfast at Grand Central Market in downtown LA, I spotted a box full of them at one of the random produce stands inside (the spanish name for them is "tuna" which threw me off at first, but the vendor assured me it was what I was looking for).  We picked up three of them and promptly came home to google exactly how you are supposed to cut them open and harvest the fruit.  I followed this recipe for how to make the prickly pear syrup and the only modification I would mention is that the process on the stove only takes about 5 minutes as opposed to the 15 the recipe calls for.  Besides adding a vibrant pink/magenta color to your cocktail, the cactus flower also adds a subtle fruity sweetness that pairs perfectly with a spicy salt rim.  Here's my version of the recipe:

Cheers!