Prickly Pear Ratafià

          Ingredients:

1 liter of alcohol at 95º

10 well ripe prickly pears

2 ½ cups of sugar

1/2 liter of water

Peel and prickly pears.

Use gloves, because they have invisible thorns, very painful for your fingers!

Crush the fruits and put with the alcohol in an airtight jar.

Let soak for 2 weeks in a dark place.

Shake from time to time.

Make a syrup with the sugar and the water.

If you prefer a less alcoholic ratafià make the syrup with 3/4 of liter of water and 3 cups of sugar.

Filter the alcohol and add the syrup.

Bottle and let it rest for other 2 weeks.

Serve chilled.

Prickly Pear Ratafià is a traditional Sicilian liqueur.                                                                                                                              
Prickly pears could be green, red, yellow or violet.                                                                                                                             
Use the red or the violet prickly pears to obtain a fully colored liqueur.

Shake 2 parts of Prickly Pear Ratafià, 1 part of White Rum, 2 part of almond milk and pour in a glass half filled with crushed ice.