Meet Ranch Water, Margarita’s ‘Skinnier’ Sibling That’s Just as Refreshing! Drink Recipe

Margaritas are the quintessential happy hour drink, and it’s clear why: Their refreshing balance of sweet, salty and sour flavors contains the perfect amount of tequila for a boozy sip. But if you’d prefer something that’s a little lighter — both in alcohol and calories — try the skinnier version of a margarita, better known as “ranch water.”

This drink hails from West Texas yet is beloved everywhere since it boasts the same citrusy and sour taste as a margarita just with less than half the calories. Also, you can whip up a ranch water cocktail using just 3 ingredients. Keep scrolling to learn more about this Texas classic and how to make one at home.

What is ranch water?

Ranch water is a drink that Ian Blessing, co-founder and owner of All The Bitter, describes as “a tequila and soda with lime.” While ranch water is simple in nature, its fizziness makes it extra special when compared to a standard margarita. “What sets it apart is that the drink is made with Topo Chico — an especially effervescent mineral water bottled just south of Texas in Monterrey, Mexico — and it’s often built directly in the glass bottle,” Blessing says.

How this cocktail become popular

Ranch water’s exact history is a mystery. Some believe it was born out of a rancher’s need to quench their thirst after a long journey, while others claim it was created by a restaurant owner. “Legend says that the drink was invented by a rancher in the 1960s in Fort Davis who followed the West Texas stars all the way to Marathon [a town in Texas] on foot and passed out under a piñon tree,” Blessing explains. “Whatever the actual story is, the drink was eventually put on the menu at Ranch 616 in Austin in 1998, where the owner Kevin Williamson claimed to have invented it, even applying for a trademark.”

Despite ranch water’s muddled history, you can find it on bar menus in Texas and across the country. Ranch water is also sold in cans as a ready to drink cocktail. These are a couple of ways to experience the deliciousness of ranch water, but it’s just as easy to channel your inner home bartender and make one in less than 5 minutes.

3 easy ranch water recipes

Ranch water is the perfect cocktail that typically contains 130 calories per 10 oz.; meanwhile, a 4 oz. margarita clocks in at 168 calories. So, it’s worth making ranch water at home using any of these 3 recipes!

Traditional Ranch Water

This classic ranch water recipe from Blessing is the ultimate thirst-quenching sip.

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz.) bottle Topo Chico or other mineral water
• 2 oz. blanco tequila
• A generous squeeze of lime juice
• Ice

Directions:

• Yield: 1 drink

1. Pour out few oz. of Topo Chico.
2. With remaining mineral water in bottle, add shot of blanco tequila and squeeze of lime juice. Cover bottle opening with your thumb or bottle cap and turn upside down one second to combine.
3. Serve cocktail in glass filled with ice and sip.

‘All Day’ Nonalcoholic Ranch Water

Blessing also shares a nonalcoholic version of ranch water that he says “hits all the same grassy, spicy notes as a great blanco tequila [drink] but without any booze.”

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. zero-proof tequila alternative such as Trejo’s Spirits Tequila Alternative
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice 
• 3 full droppers All The Bitter Orange bitters
• 1 (12 oz.) bottle Topo Chico or other mineral water
• Ice

Directions

• Yield: 1 drink

1. Pour out few oz. of Topo Chico.
2. Add lime juice, bitters and tequila alternative directly to bottle. With your thumb or cap over top of bottle, invert briefly to combine.
3. Once combined, pour ranch water into glass filled with ice and enjoy.

Basil and Kumquat Ranch Water

This recipe is shared by Meredith Ouzounian, chef and mixologist for Costa Tequila, who puts her own spin on the cocktail by adding sweet and tart kumquat and licoricey basil.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Costa Tequila Blanco
• 1 fresh basil leaves
• 1 fresh kumquat, sliced
• 3 to 4 oz. sparkling water
• Ice
• Garnish: kumquat slices and basil sprig

Directions:

• Yield: 1 drink

1. In short glass, muddle fresh basil leaves and kumquat slices.
2. Add ice to glass along with tequila and sparkling water. Stir, garnish and enjoy!

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