Liqueur made from prickly pear, being Sicilian, such an elixir could not be missing from my blog. These wonderful fruits ripen in the sun and do not need special care or even water! The prickly pear is an extremely sweet fruit but quite thorny, you have to be very careful before peeling it, brush the fruits well. We know that besides being delicious, consumed fresh as soon as picked, it is also used in the kitchen for making jams, desserts, ice creams, and naturally also in delicious liqueurs. The prickly pear has slimming properties due to its high fiber content, is energizing and thirst-quenching. Contrary to its name, it seems that its origins are Mexican, yet the whole of southern Italy is pleasantly invaded by this wonderful plant.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 3 bottles of 750 ml.
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Energy 1,782.67 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 228.14 (g) of which sugars 209.00 (g)
- Proteins 1.46 (g)
- Fat 1.02 (g) of which saturated 0.13 (g)of which unsaturated 0.58 (g)
- Fibers 7.20 (g)
- Sodium 28.67 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 750 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs prickly pears
- 1 l pure alcohol
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 quart water
Tools
- Food Mill
- Funnel
- 2 Jars (with 3 qt capacity)
- Kitchen Scale
- 3 Glass Bottles 750 ml
- Cutting Board
- Cheesecloth
Preparation
For making prickly pear liqueur, buy firm fruits, preferably of the same color. (Unfortunately, I found mixed ones)
Brush and wash them several times to remove any thorns.
Don’t waste any part of the prickly pear, slice them without peeling.
In a large jar with an airtight seal, add the alcohol to the fruits and let them rest for two weeks, in a dark, cool place.
After the 2-week resting period, strain with the help of cheesecloth and a funnel. Decant into a jar with an airtight lid
Put what remains of the prickly pears through the food mill (if you don’t have a press at home) and try to extract all the possible juice. Dissolve the sugar in boiling water to prepare the syrup.
Combine the sugar syrup, which has cooled in the meantime, with the alcohol and fruit concentrate.
The prickly pear liqueur is ready! Let it rest a few days before consuming it chilled.
