Have you ever heard of Ranch Water?
NO, it doesn’t have Ranch in it–ha! It’s a super simple tequila cocktail that hails from Texas! (Get it? THAT kind of ranch!) It’s just about the easiest cocktail you can make! We found ourselves on quite the Ranch Water kick this spring, but for some reason, they fell off our radar over the past couple of months. Luckily, there has been a resurgence of them in the Loftus household and therefore, I thought it deserved its own blog post! Many of you have told me you’re on the hunt for some great, easy cocktail recipes to make at home, and I think this one just might be at the tip-top of my list.
A batch of these are especially great on taco night in place of Margaritas if you’re looking for something less sugary. (And let’s be honest–less work!)
How to Make A Classic Ranch Water cocktail:
Ingredients:
- Tequila (I love Patron!)
- Fresh Lime (About 1/2 lime per serving)
- Topo Chico
- Salt
Instructions:
First, start with a glass full of ice. (As you know, Neal is an ice snob and literally makes his own ice–which is why you see a giant shard sticking up out of my glass above. You can see what I’m talking about here.) 😂 We all have a lot of time on our hands these days, it’s FINE.)
Then, pour a shot of tequila–my favorite is Patron but Neal also likes Casamigos. Tip: A three-second pour is equivalent to one shot!
Top with Topo Chico. You can use regular, lime, or grapefruit–but I’m partial to grapefruit. If you’ve never had Topo Chico before, it’s Mexico’s famous sparkling water. The flavors are just a tiny hint of flavor–it’s like a LaCroix but better. Now, you don’t HAVE to use Topo Chico if you don’t have any on hand, but it’s worth trying to find if you can!
Finish by squeezing a bunch of limes into the cocktail (usually about half a lime!) and I also like to top with a generous amount of sea salt! COULD you line the rim with salt? Of course. But that would involve getting an extra dish dirty, and in 2020, I like to do the bare minimum when it comes to dishes. 😜 Plus, I love it with the salt mixed in the drink!
Fun Twist: Guava Ranch Water:
This is my personal favorite! I kind of just made it up when I walked by a carton of guava juice in the store and for whatever reason decided I thought it would be delicious splashed in a Ranch Water cocktail. (And I was right!!)
I think this would also be great with another juice like pineapple or even freshly squeezed grapefruit juice! Just make the cocktail as instructed above, and splash in the juice. Add a little bit at a time, tasting as you go, until you get it to taste just right for you!
