Refreshing, slightly tart, and effervescent, Ranch Water is an uncomplicated combination of blanco tequila, fresh lime juice, and chilled sparkling water, such as Topo Chico.
Various stories place this simple highball’s origins in Texas, with some tracing its genesis to an Austin restaurant in the late 1990s. Others dispute the Stateside connection, and believe the drink gained popularity first in Mexico.
Though its hard to pinpoint the exact origins of mixing tequila with soda water and lime, West Texas has claimed the Ranch Water as its unofficial, regional cocktail. It’s said that West Texas ranchers embraced the tradition of drinking just enough Topo Chico out of the glass bottle before adding a shot of tequila and a squeeze of lime for a post-work happy hour refreshment.
What makes the Ranch Water work
The Ranch Water is a traditional highball-style cocktail, though with a higher proportion of seltzer than standard highballs, making this a relatively low-alcohol drink.
Because of its simple, three-ingredient formulation, the flavor emphasis says on the blanco tequila. Classic agave aromatics can easily punch through the bubbles like herbaceous, peppery notes and sweet, earthy flavors.
The squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a tangy contrast to the vegetal tequila, and the acidity can counterbalance some of the agave sweetness.
This drink can be built directly into a bottle of sparkling mineral water, with a few ounces removed to make room for the tequila and lime, or built directly into a highball glass. Just make sure all ingredients are well chilled ahead of time.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ranch-water-FT-RECIPE0824-02-91fe3f6e1a3740249a3b70a0da4dddc2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=This+Tequila+Highball+Is+the+Unofficial+Drink+of+West+Texas){kind=link}