The Trendy 3-Ingredient Cocktail Ree Drummond Sips On Labor Day

Ree Drummond knows how to prep for a party, from her pro-tip for making a successful layered salad to her no-baking-needed hack for effortless ice cream cakes. And she's ready for Labor Day, too, with plenty of recipes to celebrate the last holiday of summer. That includes the instructions for making Ranch Water, an increasingly trendy cocktail that hails from West Texas and uses, according to The Pioneer Woman, just three ingredients: Fresh lime juice, tequila, and Topo Chico sparkling water (the tequila pairs beautifully with holiday dishes, like fruit salad or grilled chicken).

Drummond is vehement, though, about Topo Chico in a glass being the very best sparkling water for this drink. Beyond that requirement, it couldn't be any easier to make. Just add crushed ice about halfway up in a glass, then squeeze in lime juice, pour in tequila, and top with the Topo Chico. The measurements aren't set in stone, so feel free to adjust them to suit your preferences. For a colorful garnish, cut up lime wheels to stick on the rim of your glass, and then get sipping — this light, refreshing cocktail will have you wishing for an endless summer.

As with most cocktails, you can make change-ups to customize your Ranch Water to introduce different flavors into this solid foundational drink. That includes using different types of Topo Chico, like its Twist of Grapefruit or Twist of Lime (as The Pioneer Woman suggests). But just because Ree Drummond favors this brand doesn't mean you have to stick with it, especially when there are so many different flavors of sparkling water on the market currently.

And you don't have to swap out sparkling waters, either, to affect a change in taste. You can try different tequilas, like the 1800 Añejo, which has notes of vanilla and toffee, or the 1800 Coconut or Cucumber and Jalapeño, both of which impart exciting and fresh flavor profiles into a traditional Ranch Water. Or go DIY and infuse your blanco tequila with green tea, for a vegetal take on the cocktail (imagine the satisfaction of enjoying a grassy Ranch Water right after a Labor Day lawn mowing). You might also keep the suggested three ingredients intact, but instead of garnishing with lime, use different fruits, like blackberry, pineapple (which would taste amazing with the 1800 Coconut tequila), fresh orange or lemon slices, or vegetables, like cucumber or even spicy jalapeño rings.