Recipe: Ranch Water

Serves 1.

Note: At its most unfussy, the refreshing Texas drink known as Ranch Water barely needs a recipe; many just throw together a good glug of tequila and a generous squeeze of lime and top it with mineral water for a tart sparkler. Others prefer to sweeten it a bit with orange liqueur or agave; our version uses both. Think of it as a margarita stretched into a highball with soda, which is one version of how the drink came about. The use of Topo Chico mineral water from Mexico is, per most recipes, nonnegotiable; its assertive bubble and faint salinity serve the drink well. From columnist M. Carrie Allan.

• Ice

• 1 1/2 oz. (3 tbsp.) tequila, preferably silver

• 1 oz. (2 tbsp.) fresh lime juice

• 1/2 oz. (1 tbsp.) Cointreau or other orange liqueur, optional

• 1/2 oz. (1 tbsp.) agave syrup, optional

• Fresh lime slices, for serving, optional

Directions