Patricia Altschul Reveals What Southern Charm Viewers Get Wrong About Her Martini Habit
The Southern Charm-er told us what's really going on behind the scenes.
While regular viewers may note how often Patricia Altschul has a martini in hand on Southern Charm, there's more to the matriarch's drinking habit than it would appear. Or, more accurately: There's actually less to it.
The Feast sat down with Patricia in Los Angeles, where she set the record straight. "People will be surprised by this, but I never have a hangover," she told us, when we asked if there's a secret southern hangover cure we might need to know about. "I drink one martini. It relaxes me. It tastes delicious."
But that's about where it ends — rather than simply the beginning of a long stretch of cocktails in a single sitting. "Nobody’s ever seen me even tipsy on the show," she said. "There are some viewers who think I’m a raging alcoholic who drinks martinis morning, noon, and night. But at my age, you really couldn’t do that. So quite frankly, I don’t have hangovers."
And while that did clear up any confusion about the caftan purveyor's alcohol consumption habits, it didn't reveal any magical southern recipe for coping with those throbbing headaches and queasiness other people might experience after a night of tossing back... well, more than one martini.
Turns out there's no real southern magic behind that — just a universal approach that mainly transcends regional differences: eating an enormous plate of greasy food.
Patricia told The Feast: "There is a southern tradition of having a southern breakfast: grits, bacon, fried eggs, sausage, pancakes. That should do it — it would soak it all up."
