Patrick Schwarzenegger’s had a big year. He played everyone’s favorite love-to-hate-him bro Saxon Ratliff on season three of The White Lotus and married his longtime partner, Abby Champion, in September. He’s also the official “spirit advisor” for Ketel One, which works out perfectly, as his favorite cocktail is a vodka classic.
“I’m a huge Espresso Martini fan,” he told me on the phone last week. “It’s my go-to starter if I want to have a cocktail and a little pep to my step or there’s a big night going out. It’s also just a nice, aesthetically-pleasing cocktail in your hand during the holidays.”
While Schwarzenegger didn’t host Thanksgiving this year (he had just landed in Atlanta to be with his wife’s family for the occasion when we spoke), he does plan on doing plenty of holiday entertaining. Speaking from personal experience, I come from a family who loves to host, and the bug was contagious. It’s a similar situation for Schwarzenegger.
“We’ve always had big family traditions,” he says. “We always were the nest that brought others in, especially when I was in high school or college with roommates from out of town or out of the country. They always spent Thanksgiving and holidays with us. We are always ‘the more, the merrier’ type.”
This time of year is busiest for a lot of people, but work slows down for Schwarzenegger, meaning it’s prime time for entertaining in his household. It all starts in the fall with the beginning of football season. “During football season, I’m constantly hosting,” he says.
Sports and snacks obviously go hand-in-hand. Schwarzenegger makes it easy with bites like chips and dip, charcuterie and his wife’s homemade muffins, as well as a bite that he gets lovingly dragged for serving. “Selfishly, I have Mosh Bars everywhere, which are our company’s bars,” he says with a laugh. “My friends always make fun of me because that’s always the first snack I give everybody because we have so many of them.”
How the Espresso Martini Took Over America
Cocktail trends come and go. Is this one here to stay?Drinks are obviously involved as well, but as any bartender will tell you, shaking a bunch of Espresso Martinis is time-consuming. But Schwarzenegger has a little party trick that actually helps lighten the load: getting his guests involved.
“These Ketel One Martini kits are very helpful,” he says. “Because you can hire a bartender, but when you’re having 10 people over, it’s not really the easiest or best thing to do. So these little kits allow everyone to be part of the drink-making process. It’s a fun activity.”
Schwarzenegger’s favorite is the Ketel One Après Noir, a twist on the Espresso Martini that adds orange liqueur and winter spice syrup for extra oomph. It’s a cocktail he’ll also be enjoying when he attends the 2026 Sundance Film Festival early next year. “This is the last year [in Park City], so for me, this is a perfect time to go,” he says. “It’s also a perfect mix of business and pleasure, getting to watch movies. I think it’s going to be an amazing vibe.”
Ketel One is also giving one lucky person a trip to attend the festival, complete with luxury accommodations, round-trip flights, access to exclusive screenings and the opportunity to toast the festival’s most memorable moments. All you have to do is enter your info here, as long as you’re 21 years or older.
Until then, Schwarzenegger will be enjoying the holiday season the best way he knows how: by entertaining his family and friends. When I asked him if he had any advice for someone nervous to host, he said not to overthink it.
“I think it’s really about the people,” he says. “If you’re with a good group of people and you have some great drinks and food, it’s always going to be a fun time. So I wouldn’t be nervous.”
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