Drinking Margalicious Margaritas With Ashley Benson

Ashley Benson will be providing something a little stronger than popcorn to enjoy with her latest feature film ‘Mob Land’ and her new Amazon Prime series ‘Wilderness.’ Her ‘Margalicious Margarita’ cocktail collaboration with Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens is now available through Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits. I spoke with Benson about the star-studded cocktail project, what it’s like working with Elizabeth Moss and John Travolta and why you might see her ordering from the kids’ menu while traveling.

What was your first drink?

It would be chugging some sort of vodka, like Smirnoff, sometimes mixed with a little 7up.

And when your taste buds matured?

I would go through Old Fashioneds and Margaritas. I've now been loving a martini but that took me a while to work up to.

How did you wind up collaborating with Thomas Ashbourne on your Margarita?

I had worked with the team before and they were discussing going into canned cocktails. And just for myself on the go or traveling or at the beach or with friends, it just makes things very easy. I've tried other canned cocktails which are good, but they really took the time with the quality to make it seem like you just got ours from a bartender.

How did you like working with Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson on the project?

I've known Vanessa since we were 12. We've worked together and she's been one of my best friends so I was super excited to be able to do something that isn't acting-related with her. Rosario and Vanessa go way back as well. She just couldn't be more of the nicest human. If we're working it's never an annoyance to do press or an event or a signing together. Rosario and I actually just did one in L.A. together and it's just a good group of girls and it's just never boring. Let's say that.

Have you ever brought your Margaritas on set to share with cast and crew?

(Laughing) I have! And I'm always like “don't drink them now because they're very strong.” Sometimes when I'm getting ready for hair and makeup I ask my glam team if they want a drink and I offer them the Margarita and they'll be done with one can. It really gets you feeling a buzz very quickly. (Laughs) They’re like “I feel like I'm a little tipsy.” I'm like well it's 40 proof, so yeah.

Until the Director asks you to stop handing them out.

I'm always saying “just have it afterwards so that we don't cause any problems.” But it is handy.

Were you involved in tasting the Margarita while it was being developed?

It was very important to be at every tasting every step of the way. Rosario, Vanessa and I are actually working on another Margarita now and it's been the same process. We get the samples, we give them the notes. Sometimes we disagree but we made sure we were involved in every step. You don't want to put a product out just to have your name on it. You want to love it and you want to bring it everywhere.

How do you like to enjoy your Margaritas?

During the day I love to put them in a really cute cocktail glass and go by my pool. I'm always fully stocked if I have friends over and that makes it easy because I don't have to put out all the ingredients and whatnot. Any time's a good time for a cocktail as long as it's not too early.

Have you ever gotten to share a drink with one of your idols?

I was in Cannes a couple of years ago and I was going with one of my best friends to a birthday dinner — and it happened to be for Elizabeth Moss. The Handmaid's Tale had just come out and I hadn't watched it yet, but I knew her from Mad Men and I've always thought she was so talented. We ended up having an amazing meal together and lots of drinks were involved.

She told me that she watched my work and I was like “you haven't watched anything I've done.” She goes “I have! And I love your show. I'd love to work with you.” I was like there's no way. Sure enough, I ended up doing a movie with her called ‘Her Smell’ which was an amazing experience. And also just meeting a new friend who's actually very down-to-earth and funny.

Do you enjoy traveling and trying different cuisines?

I love traveling. But I'm not much of an adventurous eater. I always tell people that I'm more of a ‘kid's menu’ type girl. I tried escargot for the first time in Paris and I liked the taste of it but it was just so chewy. (Laughs) I had to spit it out.

What new projects do you have coming out?

I have a show on Amazon Prime called ‘Wilderness’ with Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen that should come out in the fall. It’s about a British couple who tries to fix their marriage by going on a dream vacation — and it ends up being a nightmare.

And I did a film called ‘Mob Land’ with Steven Dorff, John Travolta, Kevin Dillon and Shiloh Fernandez being released this summer.

What was it like working with John Travolta?

He couldn't be sweeter. We were filming in Athens, Georgia in random forests and weird places but fans would find out the locations and hundreds of people would be coming to set. John would not film until he got a picture with every single person that came up and also talked to them and signed autographs.

Is there someone you haven’t worked with yet that you’d like to?

I always gear more towards darker things. Darren Aronofsky has always been one of my favorite directors and I'm a big fan of his films so something with him would be a dream. (Laughs) I could watch ‘Requiem For A Dream’ all day and everyone's like you're so dark. It’s more fun as an actress to dive into something that's completely opposite of who I am — and to be challenged. I love anything that can make me work extra hard.