Name: Ranch Water
Cook time: 4 minutes
Total time: 4 minutes
Yield: Makes 1
Ingredients: 1 tsp. kosher salt; ¾ tsp. coarsely chopped or crumbled mixed dried herbs and flowers (such as dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried chamomile, or edible roses); ¼ tsp. Aleppo-style pepper; 1 orange wheel; 1 oz. blanco tequila; 1 oz. sotol or mezcal; ¾ oz. lime juice; 4 oz. sparkling mineral water (preferably Topo Chico), chilled

Two cocktails made with tequila mezcal lime and Topo Chico in a collins glasses.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

In the early days of Houston’s Rosie Cannonball, former bar manager Sarah Crowl came up with a killer recipe for ranch water, the state’s iconic summer cocktail. While she’s taken her talents to Better Luck Tomorrow, the simple drink remains a mainstay on Rosie Cannonball’s beverage menu, where general manager Christian Tellez uses a combination of blanco tequila and sotol, a spirit distilled from the desert spoon plant, to create an extra earthy layer of complexity. If you can’t get your hands on sotol but want to make ranch water right now, mezcal is a delicious alternative. A muddled orange adds just a hint of sweetness, while the herbed salt blend lends spicy, floral notes to every sip. Any mix of crumbled dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried chamomile, or edible roses will work—at Rosie Cannonball, they also add nepitella, pennyroyal, and safflower. Like most Texans, Tellez loves the lively carbonation that Topo Chico brings to ranch water. However, if you can’t find a bottle, this easy cocktail will still be tasty with whatever mineral water you have around.

Recipe information

Total Time
4 minutes
Yield
Makes 1

Ingredients

Herbed Salt

1 tsp. kosher salt

¾ tsp. coarsely chopped or crumbled mixed dried herbs and flowers (such as dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried chamomile, or edible roses)

¼ tsp. Aleppo-style pepper

1 orange wheel

Ranch Water

1 oz. blanco tequila

1 oz. sotol or mezcal

¾ oz. lime juice

4 oz. sparkling mineral water (preferably Topo Chico), chilled

Preparation

Herbed Salt
Step 1
Stir together 1 tsp. kosher salt, ¾ tsp. coarsely chopped or crumbled mixed dried herbs and flowers, and ¼ tsp. aleppo-style pepper in a small bowl, then pour onto a small plate.
Step 2
Slice 1 orange wheel in half; rub the rim of a Collins glass with one half to moisten. Flip glass on its side and roll top through the herbed salt, then add both orange wheel halves to glass.
Ranch Water
Step 3
Muddle orange wheel halves at bottom of prepared glass. Add 1 oz. blanco tequila, 1 oz. sotol or mezcal, and ¾ oz. lime juice. Fill glass with ice, then fill with 4 oz. sparkling mineral water, chilled. Stir gently.