Wayne Scalaro's Prickly Pear Margarita

​Yesterday we met Wayne Scalaro, who's tended bar at the Rokerij for more than a decade and once got laid thanks to George W. Bush. Today he shares with us the recipe for his Prickly Pear Margarita, a drink Scalaro says is a smooth cocktail great for the summer heat.

"I started my day at 6 this morning, and my car's in the shop," he says. "So long story short, I was walking over here and I thought to myself, 'What would I like right now?' That's the first thing that popped into my head."

Scalaro warns not to go overboard with the prickly pear when making the drink -- just a bit will suffice. "There are about a thousand different kinds of prickly pear out there, and the one we use is on the sweeter side," he says. "A little bit goes a long way."

The ingredients:
2 oz. tequila
¾ oz. triple sec
1 oz. fresh orange juice
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. simple syrup
¼ oz. Prickly pear nectar

How to make it:
Combine all ingredients except the prickly pear nectar in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well. Strain into a tall, ice-filled glass. Add prickly pear nectar and stir to combine. Enjoy. 

Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter.