Get ready for the perfect happy hour drink: a bourbon prickly pear cocktail! This playful yet delicious drink requires only three ingredients and five minutes to make. Not only does it taste great, but it also looks beautiful.
Mr. Fearless Dining and I love to enjoy a refreshing drink after a crazy day or an ordinary day! HA!
We like to have a variety of drinks because we don’t want the same thing over and over. That is where we developed this bourbon cactus pear cocktail. The lime juice gives it the perfect zesty tang, and I have a feeling you will enjoy it as much as we do.
This bourbon cocktail is naturally gluten free and the perfect way to settle down after a long day. The star of the show is my homemade prickly pear syrup, and it is out of this world!
To learn more about prickly pears and how to use them and cook with them, check out my guide to prickly pears.
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Ingredients for this prickly pear cocktail:
- Bourbon – I used 4 Roses Bourbon, but any bourbon would work.
- Prickly Pears. See this recipe for how to make the Prickly Pear Syrup.
- Lime for Garnish
Is bourbon gluten free?
Bourbon is gluten free, so it is fine to enjoy! Bourbon is a spirit that has been distilled and barrel-aged. It is made primarily of corn. You can drink bourbon as a mixer, on ice, or neat. It perfectly complements this cocktail’s prickly pear syrup and lime.
My rule of thumb for bourbon is to use cheap bourbon if you are drinking it in a mixed drink. If you will savor it on the rocks or straight up, get the good stuff!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Thankfully, bourbon doesn’t go bad. (I would seriously cry if it did!!) After you open the bottle, if it takes you a long time to drink it, you will eventually see that it begins to evaporate. The flavor will remain the same, so you don’t have to try to drink the bottle within a certain time limit.Â
Liquor and other spirits can be stored in the freezer without issues. Just make sure that when you remove the bottle of bourbon from the freezer, you let it sit at room temperature for a while. Bourbon tends not to taste very good when it’s ice cold.Â
If you haven’t tried prickly pear, now is a great time to start! Prickly pear tastes very similar to a melon, not like a pear-like you would think. It does have a very subtle natural sweetness to it. You might be surprised to know that prickly pear also has fiber and antioxidants!
Try prickly pear in this delicious Prickly Pear Sorbet recipe, too!
You may also enjoy this cocktail with a splash of elderberry from this elderberry syrup recipe.
More fun cocktails to try:
If you love this bourbon cactus pear cocktail, then you should try these fancy drinks as well:
- If you love margaritas, try this fun Simple Prickly Pear Margarita Recipe!
- These Frozen Peach Margarita With A Ginger Sugar Rim are perfect in the summer.
- Have you tried dragon fruit? This Dragon Fruit Cocktail With Vodka is really fun to make.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Prickly Pear Bourbon Cocktail
Ingredients
- ½ cup prickly pear syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon
- Ice
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add all of the ingredients.
- Close the lid and shake to mix.
- Pour into a glass.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I’m looking for signature cocktail inspiration for my wedding. Do you think this recipe would fair well being pre-made in a large batch?
Hi Lacey, I haven’t tried this to be honest with you. I love the idea, but I am not sure how far in advance you would want to make it.
So excited to try this! I grow and harvest my prickly pears. Its a labor of love, but the end result is so many unique recipes.
Wow, I can’t imagine growing them and pulling out the spikes! The syrup is good on so many things including pancakes :-).
This cocktail looks perfect for our date night. My husband is a fan of Bourbon and he’ll be thrilled if I serve him this. But first, let’s make that syrup.
The syrup can get addictive 🙂
Or just buy the Prickly Pear syrup. Love CRAFT, but much less hassle and spot on taste
My new found favorite is prickly pear, love this drink as bourbon makes everything double great. I will give it a try intially planning to make margarita with prickly pear now I change mind after seeing your recipe.
I am so glad you love prickly pears. I can’t wait to see what you make with them.
What an amazing cocktail! I didn’t know a lot about prickly pears, so thanks for the tips.
Thank you so much. Please do reach out if you have any Qs about working with prickly pears 🙂
Such a delicious way to enjoy bourbon! I will definitely be making these again soon.
Enjoy Jaclyn 🙂