It’s almost Friday friends, we made it! Has it been a long week for you? It hasn’t been as long for me as it has been odd. Monday started out very atypical and I have had a hard time getting in the groove ever since so I am excited about the weekend for sure! Of course weekends mean cocktails are on deck too and I am pretty excited about this new one that I came up with while my mom was in town! My pink prickly pear citrus spritzers are the perfect drink to whip up all weekend long!

Have you ever had a prickly pear? I hadn’t until we moved to Texas and because I love trying unique fruits, I gave it a try! They are super refreshing and taste like a cross between a pear and a watermelon to me but are filled with tiny seeds that you have to strain out so I love using them in cocktails and juice recipes! If you are lucky enough to find the pink ones (which are less likely to be found in our grocery), the regular green ones will work here too they just aren’t as sweet! I just so happened to find pink ones this year, so I knew I wanted to make a cocktail with them because the color is out of this world!

I mix the prickly pear juice with citrus to liven the flavor up a little more, add a little agave, vodka, and then top it all off with soda water for a little fizz and the combo is so simple but so delicious! I know you are going to love trying this one out!

If you can’t find prickly pears where you live, you could substitute watermelon and regular pears mixed together to create a very similar flavor! I know there are also prickly pear juices and purees that you can find online also which is pretty handy so that you can enjoy this cocktail all year long even when the pears are in season!

I know this drink isn’t your typical fall cocktail, but it was too good to not share with you all and the colors are divine!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Pink Prickly Pear Juice (about 4-5 prickly pears)

• 1/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

• 1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

• 2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar

• 4 Oz. Vodka

• Soda Water for Topping

Directions:

• To get the pear juice, simple cut off ends of the prickly pear and then slice down the side of the skin and peel off skin.

• Muddle the pear flesh and strain to remove the seeds from the juice.

• Add all prickly pear juice, orange juice, lime juice, agave, and vodka in a cocktail shaker with a couple of ice cubes and shake until all is chilled and combined well.

• Pour over crushed ice and top off with soda water.

• Serve immediately.

Pin this cocktail to save into your must make drink recipes because it’s a keeper! I can’t wait for you all to try it out! Cheers to the weekend friends!