Cactus juice

[Steve Broady]

This crazy idea has been rattling around in the back of my brain for a little while. I tried searching for similar stuff here but I didn’t find a whole lot. So please, tell me I’m an idiot. It’ll save me a lot of time and money!

I saw a video where someone tried a prickly pear cactus juice, and they said it tasted like tequila without the alcohol. Now, to be fair, they’re cooks in London, not tequila connoisseurs or anything. But that got me thinking…

Tequila is so hard to make that I noticed we don’t even have a section for it here. Whiskey, rum, brandy, grappa, absinthe, gin.. no tequila. There have definitely been a few faux tequila recipes here, mostly using agave syrup and sometimes terpines. I tried my hand at one recipe that I found on line, and it was a total failure (as tequila- it’s a perfectly fine drink in its own right).

But what if I roasted nopales, maybe even smoked them over mesquite? And then added some agave or sugar? Would that combination bring the right flavors to the party? I’m tempted..

[jonnys_spirit]

I’m still looking for a Piña source but until then it’s dark raw Agave. I did see a few threads about Prickly Pear that looked interesting. I used nopales in a pachuga infusion but I think the cranberries and other botanicals overpowered them. Wirth a try!

Cheers,
-j

[Bolverk]

... what if I roasted nopales, maybe even smoked them over mesquite? And then added some agave or sugar? Would that combination bring the right flavors to the party? I’m tempted..

Dude, this isn't far off from something I've wanted to try myself.
It may not be a "true" tequila or mescal (so what), but I'd bet it'll be damn close.

[Steve Broady]

It may not be a "true" tequila or mescal (so what), but I'd bet it'll be damn close.

I know I’m not likely to ever get enough agave piña to make any true mescal or tequila. But if I can make something that sits in my liquor cabinet and drinks like a tequila, especially in a cocktail, and which is made from something I can source locally, that seems like a win to me.

I don’t want to offend any purists, nor do I want to compete with anyone. I just want to expand the range of spirits that I can proudly serve and say I made myself.

[Bolverk]

It may not be a "true" tequila or mescal (so what), but I'd bet it'll be damn close.

I know I’m not likely to ever get enough agave piña to make any true mescal or tequila. But if I can make something that sits in my liquor cabinet and drinks like a tequila, especially in a cocktail, and which is made from something I can source locally, that seems like a win to me.

I don’t want to offend any purists, nor do I want to compete with anyone. I just want to expand the range of spirits that I can proudly serve and say I made myself.

100%

Agave spirits are on the rise in the US now, whats winning in the the marketplace are those not consumed by tradition, but those that are thinking outside the box and making something completely new and interesting. Nopalas have been used in a few spirits but never as a main ingredient.

Dude go for it! And if you're not in a big rush I'll be right there helping you roast all those nopalas

[Steve Broady]

Come on over any time!

So that leads me to my next question. Can you actually taste the difference between store bought agave syrup and sugar or caramel?

[Bolverk]

Come on over any time!

So that leads me to my next question. Can you actually taste the difference between store bought agave syrup and sugar or caramel?

Be there next week!

Oh absolutely! Agave has a real interesting earthiness to it, it's completely different to cane or beet. It's as different as honey is to sugar.

[Dougmatt]

Years ago when I was living in California, I remember trying colonche which is the wine made from cactus fruits, and someone made prickly pear drinks with a local brandy as well. Took some searching to discover who makes it, but I think it was these guys:

https://venturaspirits.com/

You can buy a bottle and try it before you go to the effort of making it OR take this as proof that it can be done and just go for it.

I can’t vouch for the flavor, as it was about 10 years ago, but I don’t remember wanting to own a bottle. …. The stuff grows everywhere in that area, so would think lots more people would make it, but perhaps it sells better as a fruit commercially.

[Dougmatt]

Also I just discovered, though you may know already, that in Sicily and Malta they make a Liqueur from prickly pear too:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/prickly-pear-liqueur

None of these give a “tequila” or Mezcal vibe though in tasting notes. More honeydew / melon notes.

[Bolverk]

Doug Matt those are made from the fruit of the prickly pear, what I think Steve is referring to is the nopalas or the paddle of the cactus.

Nopalas are used a lot in Mexican cuisine

[Dougmatt]

Doug Matt those are made from the fruit of the prickly pear, what I think Steve is referring to is the nopalas or the paddle of the cactus.

Nopalas are used a lot in Mexican cuisine

I saw his note about prickly pear cactus juice and wasn’t sure. I couldn’t find any info on fermenting the paddles, which are basically the stem and I’ve eaten plenty of them while in Mexico, but knew about the pears which are effectively the fruit.

I looked at the paddles last night as well for awhile, but don’t think there’s enough sugar or starch content to get a ferment, but maybe. What I found was on average cactus pads have around 1g sugar per cup and around 3 carbs. Seems like you would need a whole lot to get enough fermentables out of that unless I’m missing something?

[jonnys_spirit]

I’d experiment a bit and see if you can convert the starches in the nopales. Maybe mashing/roasting and mixing with the fruit to boost the SG. It might take some malt or enzymes and agave syrup to get it into the range. Agave syrup seems to ferment better at lower SG like 1.030. Couple stovetop experiments to see if the nopales give up any sugars and a small batch sounds like a good idea. I also like the idea of roasting/smoking and vapor infusing.

I researched a little and can find some info on fermenting prickly pear fruit but not the nopales. My guess is that it would be a thing if it worked well but it would surely make a unique spirit in any case.

Cheers,
-jonny

[Dougmatt]

I did find this vodka https://highdesertvodka.com/ . Looks like they use the pear to make theirs.

Tasting notes on total wine indicate a tequila nose so there may be something there:

Unflavored artisan vodka distilled from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. High Desert has a nose like a tequila, but the vodka has flavor notes that are unique to the prickly pear cactus itself.

[Steve Broady]

I looked at the paddles last night as well for awhile, but don’t think there’s enough sugar or starch content to get a ferment, but maybe. What I found was on average cactus pads have around 1g sugar per cup and around 3 carbs. Seems like you would need a whole lot to get enough fermentables out of that unless I’m missing something?

No, you’re not missing anything. You found the same thing I did, which is why I assumed the nopales would be for flavor while agave syrup would be for fermentable sugar. Basically it’s a flavored sugar wash. I mean, we’ve already thrown authenticity out the window, right? Kind of like a sugarhead faux whiskey, the question becomes “can I make something tasty and drinkable that at least lives in the tequila space?”

[Tim Julius]

This crazy idea has been rattling around in the back of my brain for a little while. I tried searching for similar stuff here but I didn’t find a whole lot. So please, tell me I’m an idiot. It’ll save me a lot of time and money!

I saw a video where someone tried a prickly pear cactus juice, and they said it tasted like tequila without the alcohol. Now, to be fair, they’re cooks in London, not tequila connoisseurs or anything. But that got me thinking…

Tequila is so hard to make that I noticed we don’t even have a section for it here. Whiskey, rum, brandy, grappa, absinthe, gin.. no tequila. There have definitely been a few faux tequila recipes here, mostly using agave syrup and sometimes terpines. I tried my hand at one recipe that I found on line, and it was a total failure (as tequila- it’s a perfectly fine drink in its own right).

But what if I roasted nopales, maybe even smoked them over mesquite? And then added some agave or sugar? Would that combination bring the right flavors to the party? I’m tempted..

Do you think roasting and smoking nopales, combined with agave or sugar, could capture the flavors of tequila, or would it create something entirely different?

[ruminant]

I just harvested about 30lbs of ripe prickly pears this morning on my way back from dropping the kids off. Took about half an hour with tongs and a bucket, but I knew where to look. I plan to make syrup following Justin Chapelle's recipe for paletas, then mix it with white dog. I've also seen an interesting recipe for Liquore di fico d'India that takes a maceration approach.

Hope to write up the process once we're done. I'd welcome opinions on the process, though they'll probably need to be posted in the next 18 hours.

[antoRCB]

Steve, this sounds like a really interesting idea! Roasting and smoking the nopales could definitely bring some complex flavors to the mix. Since nopales don’t have much fermentable sugar on their own, how about trying a blend of roasted nopales with both agave syrup and maybe a touch of mesquite honey? The honey could add a subtle sweetness and complement the smoky notes. It might create a richer, more balanced flavor that could really shine in a cocktail. I'd love to hear how it turns out keep us updated!