Del Nopal La Tuna Recipe

Name: Lime and Salt Restaurant Bars Del Nopal La Tuna Recipe
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 oz mezcal; 0.75 oz fresh lime juice; 1 oz prickly pear puree (strained); 0.5 oz jalapeño-cucumber syrup; 0.25 tsp salt (for rimming); 0.25 tsp tajín (for rimming); 1 cup ice (for shaking and serving); 1 piece garnish: thin cucumber wheel or prickly pear wedge; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup water; 0.5 cup fresh cucumber, peeled and chopped; 0.5 piece jalapeño, sliced (seeds in for heat, seeds out for mild); 0.5 tsp lime zest (optional, brightens syrup); 3 piece prickly pear (tunas), peeled OR refrigerated prickly pear puree; 2 tbsp water (for blending); 0 to taste optional: simple syrup (if fruit is very tart)

Inspired by Lime and Salt Restaurant Bar

Time40m

Serves1

Mezcal, fresh lime juice, prickly pear, jalapeño cucumber syrup, salt & tajin.

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Ingredients

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Cocktail

2 oz mezcal

3/4 oz Fresh lime juice

1 oz prickly pear puree (strained)

1/2 oz jalapeño-cucumber syrup

1/4 tsp salt (for rimming)

1/4 tsp tajín (for rimming)

1 cup ice (for shaking and serving)

1 piece garnish: thin cucumber wheel or prickly pear wedge

Jalapeño - Cucumber Syrup (yields ~6 oz)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup fresh cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/2 piece jalapeño, sliced (seeds in for heat, seeds out for mild)

1/2 tsp lime zest (optional, brightens syrup)

Prickly Pear Puree (yields ~8 oz)

3 piece prickly pear (tunas), peeled OR refrigerated prickly pear puree

2 tbsp water (for blending)

0 to taste optional: simple syrup (if fruit is very tart)

Method

Prickly Pear Puree (make first if using fresh fruit)

Prep and puree

If using fresh prickly pears, carefully remove skin (use gloves or tongs). Halve and scoop flesh into a blender. Add 2 tablespoons water and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Strain puree through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove seeds and fibers, pressing with the back of a spoon. Yield ~4–6 oz; measure and use 1 oz per cocktail. If puree is very tart, sweeten with a little simple syrup to taste.

Chill the strained puree until ready to assemble cocktails.

Jalapeño-Cucumber Syrup

Make syrup

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar fully dissolves and syrup begins to simmer, about 3–4 minutes.

Add the chopped cucumber, sliced jalapeño, and optional lime zest to the syrup. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes to infuse flavors.

Remove from heat and let steep for 15–30 minutes, depending on desired heat level (longer = spicier). Taste after 15 minutes; if too spicy, remove jalapeño.

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Yields about 6 oz; use 0.5 oz per cocktail.

Cocktail Assembly

Prepare glass

On a small plate combine the salt and tajín. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass, then dip the rim into the salt-tajín mixture to coat. Fill the glass with fresh ice and set aside.

Shake

In a cocktail shaker, add 2 oz mezcal, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz strained prickly pear puree, and 0.5 oz jalapeño-cucumber syrup. Add a generous handful of ice (about 1 cup). Shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is cold to the touch and well chilled.

Strain & serve

Double strain the cocktail into the prepared rocks glass over fresh ice (use a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh sieve to remove pulp).

Garnish with a thin cucumber wheel perched on the rim or a small prickly pear wedge. Optionally sprinkle a tiny pinch of tajín on top of the drink for extra heat and color.

Serve immediately.