Trending Drink: Ranch Water

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I don’t know about where you live, but it is HOT in Texas right now. Like triple digits hot. The July Fry is on. And wearing a face mask in this heat doesn’t make anything any easier.

I know I’ve been talking about alcohol a lot lately, but it feels like we’re in the End Times, so I’m probably not done yet. 🙂

We are always on the hunt for a refreshing drink. Enter: Ranch Water.

Have you had this drink yet? Have you heard of it? It’s a distinctly Texas thing that I think will not take long to expand its range.

Mere water will not do this time of year, so you need to know about Ranch Water. It is the unofficial cocktail of West Texas.

Rumor has it that this drink in its original form has been around since the 60’s, but is making a big splash in trendy watering holes around Texas. It’s having a moment. It was originally a mixture of tequila, fresh lime juice, a bit of simple syrup, and Topo Chico water.

Topo Chico water is abundant in Texas, as it is bottled from an inactive volcano in Mexico. I don’t know if it is widely available around the country, but if you haven’t had it, you should try it. You can purchase it online.

I love sparkling water, and Topo Chico is the sparkliest I have ever come across. The carbonation in this stuff is epic. And the glass bottles are a bit retro. It has a rabid following.

If you order Ranch Water from a menu, you usually receive the glass filled with lime juice, tequila, and the Topo Chico water, and you are usually served an individual bottle of Topo Chico to add to your drink to get the strength to your liking. The glass is usually rimmed with salt and perhaps Tajin seasoning.

But the good news is that you don’t even have to mix your own Ranch Water, as it is now being sold ready to go in the form of a hard seltzer.

Instead of a simple syrup used when making your own, the spiked seltzer uses agave for sweetness.

We found the Shot Gun brand at the grocery store yesterday, and you can also order it online. I suspect Ranch Water in general is more readily available in Texas since it began here and is made here. But online is the next best thing.

The taste is light, refreshing, sparkling, limey and at 6.9% alcohol content, it has just enough kick to take the edge off. 🙂 It’s not cloying like the wine coolers from back in the day. My husband added a bit of tequila to his.

It would definitely make an excellent poolside cocktail choice.

You can’t really see it in the picture, so I took a separate one so you can see our favorite glass to use for this Texas drink. 🙂

I really like the taste of this drink and it is definitely a keeper for this hot weather. If you’re looking for something different, I would encourage you to try out Ranch Water this summer as a refreshing new cocktail.

Have you tried Ranch Water yet? l’d love to hear about your experience.

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