PEOPLE gets a first look at it Shay Mitchell‘s new Max show, in which she discovers specialty drinks in Colombia, Peru and beyond
Thanks to Max
Shay Mitchell in Brazil for her Max show ‘Thirst’
Shay Mitchell is seriously committed to finding the best drink.
In her upcoming travel show, Thirst, the actress travels the world to learn about different “drink trends, the best bars and 8,000 years of sipping history” from expert hosts, according to a press release. In addition to sharing exclusive photos, the Liars star tells PEOPLE about her unique travel journey and how the new Max show — premiering worldwide on May 23 — came to be.
“For me: making it Thirst is the dream…years ago I had my own travel YouTube series, and my time on the road and on the plane allowed me to create BÉIS and then Onda…is there anything more perfect for me?’ she says, referring to her bags and luggage brand and tequila line.
According to Mitchell, the idea came from a time of creativity for many people: the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to Max
Shay Mitchell in Cartagena, Colombia for her Max show ‘Thirst’
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“From the moment the idea came to me, it clicked. It’s a white space… there are endless travel shows about food, but none about drinks,” she tells PEOPLE.
The drinks Mitchell tries vary in flavor and type – and they all tell a story. In Argentina, she “encounters flaming cocktails at Buenos Aires’ first tiki bar before an Argentinian mixologist performs ancient spirit magic,” according to a press release. While in Colombia, she tries espresso beer, ancient floral drinks, and even previously illegal cocktails in Cartagena.
While it may seem like a monumental feat, Mitchell and the team managed to shoot in “just under four weeks,” which amounted to “four episodes in four countries, ten flights, a dozen hosts and countless hours of planning .’
Thanks to Max
Shay Mitchell in her Max show ‘Thirst’
The schedule was “intense,” she says, but it was worth it.
“We landed after several flights and long drives and we took off running; if you watch the show and see us in Machu Pichu, San Telmo and Palenque, that’s literally us being alone in the world and shooting on phones. And that was super important to me,” she adds.
For someone who doesn’t “believe in jet lag,” the mother of two says filming the new show “definitely put my theory to the test.” And she learned many practical lessons along the way. “The weather has messed us up!” she says, adding that she “had a last-minute shopping trip in Argentina because it was So cold.”
She loved each destination for their own reasons, but admits that Colombia has been at the top of her travel bucket list for years.
“I actually had no expectations and was completely blown away. The food! The people! The history! So much warmth,” she says.
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Thanks to Max
Shay Mitchell in her Max show ‘Thirst’
For a show about drinks, you’d think Mitchell would be hungover every now and then. She says she does her “best” to avoid them, but when she gets unlucky, her “go-to cure” is “Hydralyte, sleeping in and binge-watching an entire season of a show.”
And of course, Thirst also offers non-alcoholic drinks for the sober curious set. “Thirst explores all the drinks – the ones that have taken the world by storm, and the ones that stay closer to home,” Mitchell reveals.
While the new show brings so many new adventures for the working mom, Mitchell says nothing is better than coming home to her two daughters Atlas, 4, and Rome, 22 months.
“I Love travel, but I also like to come home. That feeling of walking into your home and sleeping in your own bed: is there a better feeling?” she says. “I often travel alone for work, so the first thing I do is track down my girls.”
Thirst with Shay Mitchell premieres worldwide on Max on May 23.
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