One Last Thing with Miranda Lambert: The Surprising Way She Takes a Fireball Whiskey Shot Before Each Show (Exclusive)

The country icon just released her ninth studio album, 'Postcards from Texas'

Miranda Lambert gets the party started before she performs.

In the new issue of PEOPLE, the "Alimony" singer, 40, reveals that the last thing she does before hitting the stage is take a tiny shot of Fireball — from a communion tray!

After checking her lip gloss and untangling her fringe, Lambert says, "we have a communion tray my bandmates, The Pistol Annies, gave me, and we do little shots of Fireball. It’s like the tiny grape-juice cup, and we don’t even fill it, but we want to feel badass, so we still do it. Full-on rock and roll."

Lambert just released her ninth major-label studio album, Postcards from Texas. Up next: She'll be honored with the country icon award at the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards, airing Thursday, Sept. 26 from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Here, the country superstar reveals more of her "lasts."

Related: Miranda Lambert Says She Watched Husband Brendan McLoughlin ‘Learn to Be Vulnerable’ Writing a Song Together (Exclusive)

Last time I was recognized
I was just in Italy and got recognized by these people from Houston, so [my husband, Brendan McLoughlin, 32, and I] ended up drinking wine with them all night, talking about stuff from growing up in Texas. We kept in touch — they were at [my recent] show.

Last impulse purchase
For the end of my Las Vegas residency, I bought myself a big, chunky horseshoe ring with diamonds that says “Ride or die.” I was like, “I need this.”

Last time my pet made me laugh
I have a Chihuahua. There’s always something that you just have to laugh off because she does what she wants. I mean, I named her Cher. What did I expect? She’s like, “Yes, Mother, I am a rich man,” and pees on the rug.

Last time I cried
We did my bestie’s baby’s [sex] reveal onstage in Vegas. The cannon confetti was pink, and I was just bawling. All my friends have boys; I was like, “I want to be able to buy glitter and unicorns!”

The new issue of PEOPLE is now on newsstands everywhere.

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