Prickly Pear Sour (N/A Mocktail) For Mocktail Monday

Prickly Pear Sour for Mocktail Monday.

Continuing on the prickly pear trend we started last week, this week's Mocktail Monday is a Prickly Pear Sour. This one uses black tea as a base to add some bitterness and tannins that pair well with the sweetness of the prickly pear syrup and the sour of the lemon. The aquafaba (i.e. the liquid from a can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans) adds a little salt to help balance the drink, while also improving the mouthfeel and presentation.

Recipe: Prickly Pear Sour (N/A Mocktail)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz strong black tea, chilled

• 1 oz prickly pear syrup (recipe below)

• 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 0.75 oz aquafaba

Build:

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake for about 20 seconds to chill.

2. Double strain into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.

3. Serve and enjoy! No garnish for this one.

Recipe: Prickly Pear Syrup

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (1 cup) prickly pear juice

• 6 oz (3/4 cup) white granulated sugar

Build:

1. Add juice and sugar to a squeeze bottle and shake until the sugar is fully dissolved. Store in the fridge for about a week.

Note: I prefer 4:3 juice to sugar ratio for this one, to account for the sweetness in the prickly pear juice, itself, so that this comes out closer to a 1:1 simple syrup in terms of sweetness.