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Ranch water is a Texas-born tequila highball cocktail made with lime and Topo Chico! This drink is all about cooling off on hot days.
Here’s a simple cocktail that’s bubbly, zingy and perfect for summer: ranch water! It’s the unofficial drink of West Texas, a tequila highball made with lime juice and sparkling Topo Chico.
One of our dearest friends, a native Texan, suggested we try out this “new” drink a few years ago, and after one sip, we were sold. Fast forward a few years and it’s vaulted into popularity as one of the top summer drinks! It’s like a bubbly, lighter spin on the margarita, with all the zippy citrus but less sweetness and booze. It’s laid back and carefree, perfect for patio sipping!
Ingredients in ranch water
Ranch water is a tequila highball cocktail that hails from West Texas. No one knows exactly how it came to be or how it got the name. Some people say a Texas rancher invented it in the 1960’s, but there’s no documentation to prove it either way. It was a word-of-mouth drink until around 2010, when bartenders in Texas started adding it to their menus. The ingredients in ranch water are:
- Tequila: Tequila blanco has a clean and crisp flavor that’s a good match for the bubbles and citrus. We also like this drink with tequila reposado, for a more complex sip with subtle notes of vanilla and oak.
- Lime juice: Always use fresh limes in a cocktail (the flavor of bottled juice is no comparison!).
- Topo Chico mineral water or other sparkling water: Die-hard fans say it’s not ranch water unless it’s made with Topo Chico, that distinctive Mexican mineral water brand. You can make it with other brands of sparkling water, but in our opinion Topo Chico seals the deal.
How to make ranch water: step by step
There’s no exact science behind ranch water! Because it was a word-of-mouth cocktail for so long, it’s more about vibe than precise quantities. You can use as much lime, tequila, and soda water as you’d like, but this is the formula that we find packs the best zingy, bubbly punch. Here’s how to make ranch water:
- Step 1: Place 3 oz tequila in a glass (2 shots).
- Step 2: Stir in 1 ½ oz fresh lime juice (the juice of about 1 medium lime).
- Step 3: Add ice and pour in 4 ounces Topo Chico (½ cup).
Best tequila for ranch water
Ranch Water isn’t the most sophisticated of cocktails, so it doesn’t require pulling out a top-shelf liquor. Find a mid-priced tequila for Ranch Water. You can use either tequila blanco (“new” or un-aged tequila) or tequila reposado (aged). Look for 750 ml bottles in the range of $22 to $35 (anything cheaper isn’t worth buying). A few tequila brands we like are:
- Espolon Blanco: inexpensive tequila blanco
- El Tesoro Blanco or Patrón Silver: mid-priced tequila blanco
- Milagro Reposado or Suerte Reposado: mid-priced tequila reposado
Frequently asked questions
Tequila blanco (silver tequila) is the classic choice. Its clean and crisp flavor complements the lime and sparkling water perfectly. However, feel free to experiment with reposado tequila for a touch of oaky complexity.
Topo Chico, a Mexican sparkling mineral water known for its subtle sweetness and minerality, is the traditional choice. However, any type of plain club soda or sparkling water you enjoy will work. (We like it best with Topo Chico!)
A typical class of ranch water has 3 oz tequila, which is 2 shots. If desired, you can use less and have a more watered down drink.
Absolutely! It’s lighter than margaritas or daiquiris, making it perfect for hot weather.
Ranch Water Recipe
Ranch water is a Texas-born tequila highball cocktail made with lime and Topo Chico! This drink is all about cooling off on hot days.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 ounces* tequila
- 1 ½ ounces fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 4 ounces Topo Chico or other sparkling mineral water
- For serving: lime wedges or wheels, ice (try clear ice!)
Instructions
- Add the tequila and lime juice to highball glass and stir.
- Fill with ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Notes
*To convert to ounces, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons.
More tequila drinks
Are you a tequila fan? Pick from these tequila cocktails:
- Try a classic margarita, or pick from our best margarita recipes.
- Mix up a Paloma cocktail, a classic combination of tequila and grapefruit juice.
- Try a tequila sunrise, a vibrant cocktail layering the colors of a summer sunrise.
- Opt for a Mexican mule, a tequila-based spin on the classic Moscow mule.
- Try our favorite, the gingery highball El Diablo cocktail.
I made my first Ranch Water today, and it’s every bit as delicious as a margarita, but less hassle and less calories,
A note about the nutrition information – it’s about right (114 kcal) if this recipe is for two drinks, but not for one as is noted.