My husband and I recently returned from a 2-week road trip to Sedona, Arizona, and Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in Utah. At first, we were a bit leery of traveling during Covid. However, we found that our hotels were very clean and sanitized and we ordered ‘take-out’ food, rather than eating in restaurants. The hotels and parks were full and except for people wearing masks, you would hardly know there was a pandemic going on!

‘Hoo Doo’ spires at Bryce Canyon, Utah

While staying at Sedona, I was thrilled to find a Prickly Pear bush nearby, with a lot of red, ripe fruit ready to be picked and eaten! I was lucky to find them since October was well-past the ripening season of July and August. Prickly Pear bushes are a little bit frightening to look at, with their prickly spines threatening to prick anyone daring to go near them!

However, the pulp and juice from Prickly Pear fruit are sweet and delicious and anyone willing to put in a little effort to extract the juice will be delighted. Prickly Pear can be used in all sorts of recipes, including jams and syrups, salad dressings, and even Prickly Pear Margaritas (see my previous post for the recipe). The fruit is also high in vitamin C and antioxidants.

Prickly Pear with spines removed, ready for preparation

Prickly Pear and Blueberry Wine Cooler

I decided to make a Prickly Pear and Blueberry Wine Cooler for my recipe. I combined fresh blueberries with the prickly pear fruit in order to add a bit more sweetness and ‘depth’ to the flavor, however you could leave out the blueberries if you wish.

Wine Coolers traditionally use white wine as the main ingredient, while adding a little fruit juice and soda (Sprite or ginger ale). However, I decided to reverse this and instead featured the Prickly Pear juice, while reducing the amount of wine and soda (see recipe below).

How to extract juice and pulp from Prickly Pear fruit

Always wear canvas or leather gloves when working with prickly pear fruit. If you do get a few prickles in your skin, try to remove them with tweezers or toe nail clippers, or run your skin over running water to dislodge the hair-like spines.

Note: I picked around two dozen fruit, which yielded about 3 cups of prickly pear juice.

The Method:

Step 1: Pick the prickly pair fruit by using tongs to twist the fruit from the plant- be sure and use gloves.

Step 2: To remove the hair-like prickles (or glochids), place the fruit in a colander and shake it under rapidly running water for several minutes. The prickles will gradually disappear. Then rub the fruit with paper towels to make sure the prickles are gone!

Step 3: Cut off each end of the fruit, then slice it in half to reveal the seeds and pulp.

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Step 4: Use a small spoon to scoop the seeds and pulp out. Only a thin piece of outer skin will remain after scooping- discard this.

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Step 5: Transfer pulp and seeds to a bowl, then pulse in a blender. The seeds will remain whole during the blending.

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Step 6: Press the juice through a sieve; some of the pulp may come through as well, but no seeds!

You are now left with beautiful pure Prickly Pear juice!

The Recipe:

The recipe for the Prickly Pear and Blueberry Wine Cooler is easy and uses only four ingredients: prickly pear, blueberries, white wine, and Sprite soda.

(The amount of juice available for your recipe depends on the amount of Prickly Pears you can pick: a dozen fruit should yield around 1.5 cups of Prickly Pear juice).

First, blend together the prickly pear juice and blueberries, using a 4:1 ratio. Example, if you have one cup juice, then you would add about 1/4 cup blueberries. Pulse in the blender until smooth; pass through a sieve to remove the blueberry pulp (optional).

To each cocktail glass, add 4 ounces of prickly pear juice and two ounces each of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) and Sprite (or ginger ale). Add ice cubes and mix. (You can adjust the level of alcohol up or down as desired, or omit altogether).