Name: Prickly Pear Margarita
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: ½ cup tequila *add more for a stronger blend; ½ cup lime juice; ½ cup triple sec; ¼ cup prickly pear syrup; 4 lime wedges for serving; Salt or sugar for rim (optional)

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If you're looking for a perfect summer cocktail, this Prickly Pear Margarita is it. This margarita is sweet and so refreshing on a hot summer day. It's perfect for a barbecue, laying by the pool, or Cinco de Mayo!

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Tequila has always been my favorite liquor of choice. My mother-in-law turned me on to sipping on Sprite and tequila with two limes a few years back and ever since tequila is definitely my preferred liquor whenever I have a cocktail.

So when my blog friends and I were discussing our (unofficial) monthly cocktail post together, I was excited that all of us had chosen a margarita or tequila cocktail.

One of our best friends from college was visiting a few weeks back and bought us a very nice bottle of tequila as our housewarming gift. I'll be honest, while I may prefer tequila, I am no connoisseur. Our friend told us, though, that this particular bottle of tequila was so good that you can sip on it, it doesn't even need to be mixed in with anything else. However, it can be and does make a pretty darn good margarita, if I do say so myself.

Moving to Arizona has only furthered my love of cactus so this margarita is perfect for any cactus-loving girl like me. I chose to use prickly pear syrup that you can purchase at a store like BevMo or Total Wine, but you totally could make your own as well! It can also be found on Amazon as well.

Ironically, even though we are in the heart of the desert, I wasn't able to find any prickly pear fruit at our grocery store. But the next time I do, I'm definitely going to experiment with making my own syrup.

There are quite a few variations on how to make the perfect margarita, but I found for this Prickly Pear Margarita that an almost even ratio of tequila, triple sec, lime juice and half the amount of prickly pear syrup ended up being the right combination. If you prefer less sweet margaritas and a more boozy flavor, you can definitely increase the amount of tequila you're putting in.

Recommended Tools for Margarita Makin'

Prickly Pear Syrup

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And hey! If you're thinking about making this recipe, or you already have, would you leave a comment and rating to let me know?! I love to hear when y'all make these recipes!

You've gotta try this tasty margarita recipe this summer! While you're at it, be sure to try this Strawberry Basil Margarita from Feast + West, Cherry Lemonade Margarita from Speckled Palate, and this Chili Lime Margarita from Cake 'n Knife.