In USA TODAY's new weekly series, “The Essentials,” celebrities share what drives them in life.
Shay Mitchell fuses travel and alcohol to create the ultimate cocktail in her show, Thirst with Shay Mitchell.
The actress has already established herself in both industries with travel accessories company Béis and tequila brand Onda, and is looking to take it a step further with a show focused on trying different drinks from around the world.
“It combines both of my interests, which is traveling and drinking, so it's not just about drinking, it's about sipping on drinks and learning about the culture, the history and the people who live there through the drinks,” Mitchell says of “Max,” the new four-episode series that premiered on May 23.
While fans were obsessed with her character Emily Fields on Pretty Little Liars, she was also jetting off during her time off from filming. “When I was in my 20s and doing TV shows, I would jet off to different places every time I had a break,” she humbly said, referring to her time on the hit ABC Family (now Freeform) show from 2010 to 2017.
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Now, exploring the world looks different for the 37-year-old actress and mother of two.
Shay Mitchell's “Thirst” is a spicy skinny margarita
Mitchell just released Onda's Reposado, which is the perfect complement to her go-to cocktail: “A spicy skinny margarita…extra spicy.”
She also broadened her beverage choices while filming “Thirst.”
“Cachaça (my favourite spirit) comes from Brazil and I loved it. I discovered that it's one of the top five spirits in the world, yet 99% of it is bought in Brazil. That's kind of crazy.”
The emollient, a traditional Peruvian drink, surprised her most: “It has chia seeds so it's fibrous and a lot richer than I was expecting…. It's not bad by any means, but it was unexpected.”
Shay Mitchell's hangover cure
“If I go home, drink a ton of water, take a couple of Advil liquid gels, and eat a small, greasy meal before bed, I wake up perfectly fine,” she says. “If not, I'll order some pho and spring rolls.”
Shay Mitchell admits that traveling with kids is “not relaxing” but that's okay.
Mitchell and her partner Matt Babel have two daughters, Atlas, 4, and Rome, 2. With the summer holidays approaching, she plans to visit her parents in Vancouver.
“I bring activities. Atlas loves coloring and drawing, so I always have coloring books and picture books ready. Rome… There's really no like tips or tricks that I've learned for her. It's been WWF (now WWE) all this time, and she's just wrestling with me. She's standing. She's sitting. I can't even lie, with my second kid it's nonstop for me. I just have to get through it knowing that it's not a time to relax,” she admitted.
For parents traveling with small children, Mitchell says, “Don't get stressed out if your child has a little tantrum or upset if they won't stay quiet.”
“As a new mom, I was always panicking and saying, 'Don't make any noise,' but now I'm like, 'Sorry, they're just kids.' I do my best and they're never going to kick the seats, but I do what I can.”
“Roma was 5 months old when we were shooting Thirst. I was away for a month, and it was really hard,” she says. “But the words that really stuck with me that I heard were, 'This is the first time in my life.' These are things that I've always wanted to do. … This is my passion. I think when I got home, they could tell I was excited.”
Shay Mitchell's bag is like 'Mary Poppins' when it comes to travel
“I have a Mary Poppins in my suitcase,” she says, noting that she has all the “essentials” from medicines to Maldon salt for added flavour and in-flight meals.
“The best salt,” she said, pausing to find the correct spelling.
Shay's airplane essentials include:
Medicine. Makeup. Face mist. Hand cream (“I hate the way my hands dry out on a plane.”). Spare socks. Neck pillow. Sleeping mask (“This is a must.”). Earplugs. Maldon salt.
During the break, Shay Mitchell is watching Is It Cake?
“I love Is It Cake? and I'd guarantee I get it right about 80% of the time. I wish there was an app linked to the show so you could make friendly bets. I get it right pretty well so I'd probably be in the top 10. I love that show,” she enthuses.
The “Thirst” star also loves watching “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and “Sex and the City” reruns.
She recently finished The Gentleman. “It was so good… the show itself. Not just that Theo[James]was good, it was just… good,” Mitchell joked about the Netflix series.
“I'm trying to read more. I have a little Kindle. I just finished 'It Starts With Us'. It took me a long time, but now I'm a mother of two kids and I travel quite a bit, so it's hard to find time to read. I'm going to read 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'. Then sometimes I read older books like 'Mastering of Love', which is my favourite. I've probably read it 10 times.”
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She celebrates her life, “even on the most ordinary days.”
“In the morning and at night, I reflect on all the things I'm grateful for. I know people might find that tiresome, but I really do,” the “YOU” actress said, adding that her days are special “no matter how ordinary they are” because it means “nothing bad happened.”
“As I have birthdays and get older, people ask me, 'Are you scared of turning 40?' Not at all. I feel so blessed to be turning 40 and I'm so excited for what's to come,” Mitchell added.
Her grandmother, Romaine, who passed away in 2022, was a big contributor to her positive outlook on life. “My grandmother was always with me and I think that gave me a little bit of confidence. … I imagine what she would say if she were here and she would always say, 'Okay, I'll say a little prayer for you.'
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
