David Toby is the beverage director of Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin, TX.
It’s already getting hot here in Texas, and when the summer starts kicking, I start thinking: I want some tequila. Since I still like a little heat in my drinks, too, the Cactus Jack is a great option. It’s a pretty good porch pounder—a little tang from the citrus, balanced with fresh-cut jalapeño and fruity prickly pear cactus juice.
We like to drink a lot of tequila at Jack Allen’s Kitchen, and there’s no better way to enjoy it than with a Cactus Jack on the patio. This drink is also made with local Texas owned Tequila 512 blanco tequila and Paula’s Texas Lemon liqueur, made right here in Austin.
Cactus Jack
1 ½ oz. Tequila 512 Blanco
½ oz. Paula’s Texas Lemon liqueur
1 oz. Fresh lime juice
¾ oz. Simple syrup or agave nectar
¾ oz. Prickly pear juice
3 Fresh jalapeño rings (take seeds out for less heat)
Add ingredients to a shaker tin which a scoop of ice. Shake and strain into a 10-oz. glass, rimmed with lime/chile salt. Garnish with a jalapeño ring.
