This fruity ranch water recipe with spicy Tajin rim is spiked with tequila for a refreshing 5-minute cocktail. Made right in the sparkling water bottle, it’s the perfect drink for all your summer fiestas.
Why You’ll Love This Ranch Water Recipe
This refreshing ranch water recipe with a touch of fruity sweetness is perfect for beating the summer heat.
- Great for a party-of-one. You don’t need to worry about having lots of leftovers if you’re craving a drink.
- Refreshing. Served chilled and with a bit of lime, this is a refreshing summer cocktail.
- Fizzy. Ranch water is made with sparkling water for a boozy, fizzy sip.
- Quick. This Tex-Mex cocktail is ready in just 5 minutes!
What Is Ranch Water?
Ranch water is a popular Texan cocktail. It’s main ingredients are sparkling water, lime juice, and tequila. A fruit juice of choice like orange, grapefruit, and mango is often added for natural sweetness. It’s like a spiked agua fresca or sparkling lemonade. To make it look extra nice, a salt or chili powder rim can be added as well.
Recipe Ingredients
Lime juice and spicy Tajín balance out the juice’s natural sweetness. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Topo Chico – Feel free to use your favorite sparkling water.
- Tequila – I prefer reposado (aged) or silver tequila so that the flavor isn’t overpowering.
- Fruit juice – I prefer mango, grapefruit, or orange juice.
- Lime wedges – You can also use fresh lemons.
- Tajín – This is a Mexican chili powder, but you can add your favorite.
What Is Topo Chico?
Topo Chico is a brand-name Mexican sparkling mineral water. It’s slightly salty due to its natural minerals. The water is sourced from Monterrey, in northern Mexico. It’s naturally carbonated but also goes through industrial processing to standardize the fizz. Topo Chico is typically served cold on its own, with a lime wedge, or as the base for popular cocktails.
How To Make A Ranch Water Cocktail
This ranch water recipe is perfect for a party-of-one! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Prep the bottle. Pour 4-5 oz of Topo Chico into a separate glass. Don’t forget this step or the rest of the ingredients will make the bottle overflow.
- Fill it. Slowly pour fruit juice and tequila into the bottle without shaking or stirring to prevent bubbling and spilling.
- Add a rim. Rub a lime wedge along the bottle’s rim and slightly down the sides. Use your hand to press Tajin against the sides.
- Serve. Garnish the bottle with a lime wedge, serve, and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
Spice it up with jalapeños, add a tropical twist with passionfruit, or muddle in fresh mint for a refreshing twist.
- Add chamoy. Slowly pour 1-2 tablespoons Mexican chamoy sauce into the bottle before adding the tequila and juice. Let it settle in the bottom. It’ll create a colorfully layered drink and also add a bit of spicy tartness.
- Change the rim. If you don’t love Tajin chili powder, swap it for salt or Miguelito (a sweet Mexican chili powder).
- Add herbs. 1-2 fresh mint leaves, basil leaves, or a rosemary sprig can add wonderful fragrance to each sip.
- Make it spicy. Grab 1-2 slices of fresh jalapeño or serrano chili and squeeze them into the bottle for a bit of heat.
- Prep it in a pitcher. If you’re expecting people over, double or triple the recipe as needed but pour the Topo Chico into a large pitcher and prepare the cocktail there.
- Swap the juice. Skip the fruit juice and use a passionfruit or hibiscus concentrate instead for a similarly fruity cocktail that’s slightly sweeter.
Serving Suggestions
This ranch water recipe is great for a cocktail night with yummy Mexican appetizers and food. I love serving it with my Skirt Steak Tacos, Steak Street Tacos, or Chicken Street Tacos. If you prefer something light, go for my Guacamole or Chili Lime Grilled Corn Salad with tortilla chips. My Fresh Pineapple Salsa works too.
Can You Prepare It in Advance?
Absolutely! You can prepare it up to a day in advance. I don’t recommend making it before this because the Topo Chico will lose its fizziness.
More Simple Cocktail Recipes To Try
- Simple Strawberry Vodka Cocktail
- Hugo Cocktail
- Pineapple Rum Punch
- Cadillac Margarita
- Greyhound Cocktail
Ranch Water Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: Counter
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sparkling ranch water recipe with sharp tequila, fruit juice, and Tajin rim is an easy 5-minute cocktail for the summer.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. bottle of topo chico, cold
- 2 oz. resposado tequila
- 1 oz. fruit juice (mango, lime, orange, grapefruit)
- 1–2 lime wedges, thinly sliced
- optional: tajin or salt rim
Instructions
- Drink or pour in a separate measuring cup 4-5 oz. of your topo chico. This will allow room to add the other ingredients.
- To your topo chico bottle add fruit juice of your choice and tequila. Do this slowly, do not shake or stir so the bottle doesn’t bubble up and spill.
- Gently add in lime wedge to the bottle.
- Optional: If you want to garnish the bottle with a salt or tajin rim. Take a lime wedge and rub along the bottle’s rim as well as a little down the side. Next, using your hand add the salt or tajin to that same spot until it adheres to the bottle.
- Serve.
