Here is an exciting twist to reintroduce this ‘Sex and the City’ revived classic cocktail… the Cosmopolitan. The prickly pear flavor is a perfect compliment to the citrusy flavors of fresh lime juice and sweet orangy-ness of triple sec. You can find prickly pear syrup online, but nothing compares to syrup created from fresh fruit. The cocktail is simple, with very complex and exotic flavors.

Prickly Pear Cosmopolitan

2 oz. Vodka (I prefer Titos for this cocktail)

1 oz. Homemade Prickly Pear Syrup (recipe below)

1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 oz. Triple Sec

Place all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds, and strain into a martini glass. Enjoy 😉

Homemade Prickly Pear Syrup

Prickly pears, as it turns out, aren’t pears at all. They are actually a member of the cactus species Opuntia genus. Fortunately, this cactus fruit can be found needle-free in the produce section of your favorite supermarket.

You will need: Prickly Pears, Granulated Sugar, Water, Fresh Lemon Juice

The process to make prickly pear syrup is pretty simple.

1. Peel the prickly pears and cut the peeled fruit into large chunks.

2. Place the fruit in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover the fruit.

3. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Strain the juice to remove all of the seeds, flesh and pulp. You may need to press the fruit through several layers of cheesecloth, screen or coffee filter. Get creative, no one is watching 😉

5. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the sugar. In a typical simple syrup recipe, you would add equal amounts of water and sugar. The prickly pear juice, however, is already pretty sweet, so add half the amount of sugar as there is liquid (2 parts liquid to 1 part sugar).

6. Add the juice of half a lemon (3-4 prickly pears). The lemon juice cuts the sweetness slightly while acting as a preservative.

7. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let boil for a few minutes, then remove from the heat to cool.

This syrup, if refrigerated, can last for weeks. I recommend using a glass container.