Claw News

Dallas beverage startup takes on White Claw with new hard seltzer

The origin of ranch water cannot be traced, but rumor has it that it was first concocted in the 1960s by a Far West Texas rancher.

Travis Hallmark

White Claw Summer seems so long ago, but a new Dallas company has introduced its own hard seltzer to take us back to those innocent pre-coronavirus times.

Called Lone River Ranch Water, it's an 80-calorie hard seltzer from Lone River Beverage Company which a release says has canned the taste of rugged far West Texas.

Available statewide, Lone River is made with 100 percent agave and lime juice with a 4 percent ABV, making it "a twist on the classic cocktail with the sessionability of a hard seltzer." Whoever wrote this press release is masterful.

Lone River Beverage Company was founded by Katie Beal Brown, a young entrepreneur and SMU grad whose family has a ranch in West Texas.

"We've been drinking ranch water on our family's ranch in Far West Texas for as long as I can remember," Brown says in a statement. "We canned this drink to celebrate the roots of the legend and our own heritage as a family who settled here generations ago. In thinking about the hard-working people of West Texas, we knew we wanted to create something that is approachable in both taste, price point, and availability."

While most hard seltzers come in a skinny can, Lone River Ranch Water comes in the size of a regular beer can so it fits into a koozie. This is important, people.

The seltzer water is described as "highly carbonated," and the alcohol base is gluten free, which is of dubious importance, other than for the GF people.

There's just the one flavor now but they plan to add two flavors in the summer: Ranch Water Spicy and Ranch Water Rio Red Grapefruit.

Lone River Ranch Water is sold in a 6-pack for $8.99, and is available at Central Market, Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Albertsons, 7-Eleven, Total Wine & More, Specs, as well as independent stores throughout the state.

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Coffee News

French cafe from New York to open at buzzy Dallas center near Lakewood

Maman

Lemon meringue tarts from Maman.

A French cafe chain from New York is bringing its ritzy fare to a buzzy intersection in East Dallas: Maman, a celebrated spot with coffee and brand-name pastries, will open a location in Hillside Village, at 6465 Mockingbird Ln. #316, at the address previously occupied by Palmer's Hot Chicken.

Signage is already up in the space. According to a spokesperson, renovations are underway, with a targeted opening date of early fall.

Famous for its pale blue-and-white toile decor and Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maman was founded in Soho in 2014 by partners Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, and has expanded across the U.S, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Canada.

They made their Texas debut in November 2025 when they opened a location in the Plaza at Preston Center. There are also plans for another location in Frisco at the new Fields West mixed-use center, as well as a location in Casa Linda Plaza. Still more locations are said to be in the works.

At the favorably situated Hillside Village, they'll be joining tenants such as Sprouts, SusieCakes, and Sephora. The center has undergone an overhaul in the past decade with the addition of new tenants, starting when Sprouts took over the former Stein Mart.

Palmer's was there for five years; they opened in 2020, part of a then-wave of hot chicken places, before exiting the premises in January 2026. A permitting notice for Maman was posted the same week.

Maman will update the space, installing their signature interior touches to create a cozy, European garden atmosphere. They boast a French provincial aesthetic with vintage furniture, wood floors, imported tiles, and signature blue toile that extends to the custom espresso machine.

The cafe will be open during daylight hours with coffee, breakfast and lunch: espresso drinks, tea, and pastries such as croissants, kouign maman, Bundt cakes, tea cakes, and cookies. Heartier breakfast and lunch items include quiche, a breakfast bowl (with potatoes, arugula, bacon, caramelized onions, avocado, and egg), chicken Caesar wrap, and Mediterranean steak sandwich.

Their drinks can be elaborate with rarefied ingredients; for example, a vanilla honey butter latte with sweet corn foam & cornbread crumbs, or a salted tahini honeycomb latte. They also partner up on brand collaborations with food & beverage names such as Martha Stewart.

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