Prickly Pear Margarita

The prickly pear cactus grows throughout the deserts of the southwest United States. Juice and syrup can be produced from its edible, fuchsia-coloured, pear-shaped fruit. And, or course, cocktails can be produced from the juice or syrup.

Recently, my sister-in-law celebrated a special birthday, and at my brother's request, I reproduced a cocktail she had enjoyed during a holiday in Arizona – the Prickly Pear Margarita.

The only hard part about making one is getting hold of prickly pear syrup, but an online search revealed many sources of supply. I placed an order and five days later I had my syrup and testing began.

Here's the recipe I came up with: to a cocktail shaker half full of ice, add 1½ oz. of tequila, ¾ oz. lime juice, ½ oz. triple sec, and ½ oz. prickly pear syrup. Shake sharply for 30 seconds and pour into a Margarita glass. Allow a few pieces of ice to slip into the glass in order to dilute the drink, as it's quite concentrated otherwise. Or you can blend the ingredients with ½ cup of crushed ice if you like frozen Margaritas.

If you don't happen to have any prickly pear syrup handy, you could experiment with other fruit syrups – blueberry, blackberry, or pomegranate, for example. Or try using a one-inch cube of peach sorbet instead to make a Peach Margarita.

The Prickly Pear Margarita is a good example of how switching up one ingredient in a familiar cocktail recipe can produce new and interesting results. Don't be afraid to experiment: you can always drink your mistakes.

Mango-rita

The Margarita is one of the world's most popular drinks and a summertime favourite. In fact, that's where I began last summer's series of cocktail posts, and that's where you should start if you want to try this week's variation on the classic. Just click here to go there. It'll tell you all you need to know about how to make the best Margarita you've ever tasted. Guaranteed, or double your money back.

Once you've mastered the basic Margarita, you'll need to make a trip to your local supermarket that sells President Choice products. In the refrigerated juice section, look for President's Choice 100% Purée & Juice Mango Orange Blend.

To make one Mango-rita, combine ½ ounce triple sec, 1½ ounces tequila, 1½ ounces PC Mango Orange juice, and 2 ounces Margarita mix. For a frozen Margarita, blend with a cup of crushed ice and serve in a coupe-shaped Margarita glass, or serve over ice in a large wine glass and sip through a straw.

Here are links to some more of last summer's cocktails:

• Sangria
  
• Aprodite (a pineapple drink)
  
• Long Island Iced Tea
  
• Frugal Cocktails
  
• Mojito
  
• Mint Julep
  
• Peach Daiquiri
  

Just mouse over the name of the cocktail and click on it to go to the post. Click on your browser's back button to return to this post.

Cheers!

I'm Spending the Summer in Margaritaville

Enough about taxes and the various inanities, iniquities, and inequities of modern life. Summer has come early to southern Ontario, and as is traditional in these parts, that means all discussion of serious topics is hereby suspended until after Labour Day.

And there's no better way to slip the brain into neutral than with a cooling beverage (or two). Since I retired, I've applied myself diligently to mastering the art of the cocktail. I've gotten pretty good at it too. So as a public service, I'm going to share a few tips and a few recipes over the next few weeks.

Let's begin with the Margarita. One of the classic principles of cocktail construction is the formula sweet + sour + strong. Not all cocktails are made this way, but many are, and this is a good basis for creating your own original drinks. The Margarita follows this classic pattern.

The sweet comes from triple sec, an orange-flavoured liqueur that is a bar staple. The sour is contributed by lime juice, and the strong component is the tequila.

The quality of ingredients will make a big difference to the taste of your drink. Do not, I repeat, do not use powered or prepared mixes. They are full of artificial colours and flavours, and citric and other acids. I suggest buying a can of Minute Maid Limeade concentrate. It consists of lime juice and sugar and is reasonably priced -- about $1.29. The mixing directions call for adding 4 cans of water. Ignore this. Add only 2 cans, otherwise your drink will be too diluted when you add ice. This is still too sweet for your Margarita though, so also add 4 ounces of fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes). You now have about 40 ounces of a sweet/tart natural Margarita mix that costs a lot less than the commercial mixes.

Some people like salt on the rim of their Margarita; some prefer it without. It's up to you. Some like theirs frozen; some prefer theirs on the rocks. It's up to you.

To make one Margarita: combine half an ounce of triple sec, one and a half ounces of tequila, and three or four ounces of the limeade mix. Blend with a cup of crushed ice for a frozen Margarita, or serve over ice. Enjoy!

To make a pitcher that will serve eight, mix four ounces triple sec, twelve ounces tequila, and about thirty ounces of the limeade mix.

You can take your Margaritas to a higher level with premium ingredients and the taste is well worth it. Instead of triple sec, try using Grand Marnier, an orange-flavoured, brandy-based liqueur. It's expensive, but adds a mellow smoothness to your drink. And the quality of the tequila can also make a difference. Besides basic silver and gold (which has caramel colour added), there are reposada (rested), and anejo (aged) tequilas. The latter can be very expensive, but the middle level reposada tequila can be an affordable way to add depth of flavour to your Margarita. El Jimador Reposada is $32.95 at the LCBO, only a few dollars more than basic silver and gold tequilas.

So there's our cocktail to kick off the summer, and mixology lesson #1: use real fruit juices, fresh where possible. Cheers!