Prickly Pear and Ginger Beer Margaritas.

I bet you’ll never guess why I love this one.

Could there BE another cuter, pinker drink than this prickly pear margaritas, said Chandler Bing.

I think not.

Just look at that shade! Wildly gorgeous and completely natural. Between these prickly pears and my pitaya obsession this summer, my skin might turn hot pink. Not complaining one single bit.

So what do these gorgeous little pink pears taste like? Oh. Let me tell you.

I think they taste like watermelon gum. Like watermelon bubble gum. I actually googled what they are supposed to taste like because mine seemed almost too good to be true, and wouldn’t you know that I saw both bubble gum AND watermelon juice?! And cotton candy. They sort of taste like that too.

In short, they taste like a unicorn fairy prancing on a rainbow. Don’t you want to drink a unicorn fairy prancing on a rainbow?! I mean.

The thing is though that they are NOT overly sweet. It’s a natural flavoring of watermelon gum, if there could ever be such a thing. That’s why I wanted to add something with a bite to it, a flavor that could take us further into fall with a hint of spiciness. Enter ginger beer!

Gosh, I freaking love ginger beer. Fever Tree is my favorite brand and it tastes fantastic, making me never want to drink ginger ale again. I topped the drink off with the ginger beer which made it not only delicious but also a little bubbly, which I adore. It’s unique to most margaritas and the fizz is such a welcomed addition.

Also, let’s talk about how deprived I feel for not discovering prickly pears sooner! And pumping my guts full of artificial cotton candy flavor while this beauty was right there the whole time. These adorable things are in season through the holidays so the whole pink +  green combo can also be your holiday cocktail of choice!

This is the best day ever.

Prickly Pear and Ginger Beer Margaritas

Yield: makes 1 drink, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

coarse salt for the rim
2 ounces silver tequila
1 1/2 ounces Grand Marnier
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces prickly pear syrup (recipe below)
2 ounces ginger beer
lime wedges, for serving and garnish

prickly pear syrup

2 prickly pears, flesh scraped out
sugar



Directions:

Place the salt on a plate. Rim a glass with a lime wedge and dip in the salt to coat. Fill the glass with crushed ice.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the tequila, grand marnier, lime juice and syrup. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour mixture into the glass, then top it off with the ginger beer. Add a few lime wedges and stir. Drink up!

prickly pear syrup

Place the pears in a food processor and blend until pureed and "juiced." Strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve. However much juice you have is how much sugar you want! If there is 1/3 cup juice, you want 1/3 cup sugar. Place the juice and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to simmer.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

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Going to drink this in my hologram shoes and Lisa Frank leggings. Just kidding! Not.