Ranch Water: Ideal Summer Sipper
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Ranch Water may not be on your cocktail radar unless you live in Texas. However, this tequila highball cocktail is so easy to craft and refreshing to drink that it may become your favorite summer sipper.
We never heard of Ranch Water until we made a deep dive into researching tequila cocktails. We’d be embarrassed by our ignorance except that the drink’s popularity was previously limited to Texas cities like Austin and Houston.
It’s only recently that the tequila tipple journeyed up the interstate and beyond the Lone Star state’s borders. Not only have home mixologists like us discovered the Ranch Water’s charms, but companies like Coca-Cola have started selling Ranch Water in cans to compete with the canned hard seltzer market.
What Is Ranch Water?
Ranch Water is a three-ingredient cocktail crafted with blanco (i.e., white) tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice and Topo Chico mineral water. Served with ice, Ranch Water is so refreshing that it’s almost too easy to drink.
If you think that Ranch Water sounds like a Margarita, you’re correct. But Ranch Water and Margaritas are decidedly not the same. The two recipes are different. The Margarita recipe includes orange liqueur, while the Ranch Water recipe has fizzy Topo Chico. You’ll taste the difference after a sip or two.
History of Ranch Water
With a name like Ranch Water, it’s easy to picture workers swigging the drink after a long, hot day laboring at a Texas ranch. And while Texas workers probably drank beverages similar to Ranch Water over the decades, there’s no written documentation of Ranch Water until the latter half of the 20th century.
Some people attribute the West Texas cocktail to Kevin Williamson, the original owner of Ranch 616 in Austin, who claimed the cocktail as his invention. Williamson passed away in 2021 and nobody has since proven otherwise.
Ingredients
You only need the following ingredients to craft Ranch Water at home:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
We recommend using your favorite tequila in this recipe. We typically use Jose Cuervo Especial tequila made with blue agave. Distilled in Mexico, Jose Cuervo Especial tequila has a 38% ABV.
Discover more tequila cocktails.
While the tequila brand is negotiable, the mineral water is a different story. Ranch Water isn’t really Ranch Water unless it’s crafted with Topo Chico mineral water. Currently owned by the Coca-Cola company, the naturally bubbly, to the point of almost being foamy, water comes from Monterrey, Mexico and is named after Mexico’s Cerro del Topo Chico mountain.
How to Craft Ranch Water at Home
Be aware that our Ranch Water recipe is both easy and fast to follow. Once you gather the ingredients and tools, you’ll be sipping in mere minutes.
The first step is to fill a highball glass with ice.
Measure the tequila and pour it directly into the ice-filled glass. We use a Japanese jigger for this step since it provides accurate measurements and facilitates a clean pour.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Next, pour the freshly squeezed lime juice into the same glass. We like to pre-measure the lime juice with a miniature angled measuring cup, but you could use your jigger for this step.
Top the glass with Topo Chico mineral water. This is the step where the Ranch Water cocktail gets its bubbles.
Gently stir the cocktail.
Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.
Pro Tip
Slice a lime wedge or wheel or two before you squeeze your lime.
We like to sip Ranch Water with a colorfully striped paper straw. How you sip your Ranch Water is up to you.
Variations
Ranch Water is one of the easiest cocktails to craft. Motivated mixologists might want to take the tequila cocktail to the next level with one or more of the following alternatives:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Ranch Water Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ounces blanco tequila
- 1½ ounces lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 4 ounces Topo Chico sparkling mineral water
- 1 wedge or wheel lime (garnish)
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Fill highball glass with ice.
- Pour tequila and lime juice into the glass.
- Top off with Topo Chico mineral water.
- Gently stir.
- Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Ranch Water is a refreshing tequila cocktail crafted with three ingredients – tequila, fresh lime juice and Topo Chico mineral water.
Ranch Water was invented in West Texas.
Blanco Tequila, Topo Chico Mineral Water, Fresh Lime Juice, Ice Cubes and Lime Wedge or Wheel (garnish)
Ranch Water is stirred, not shaken.
No. While Ranch Water and Margaritas both contain tequila and lime juice, Ranch Water adds Topo Chico mineral water while a Margarita adds orange liqueur.
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