Tyra Banks Says She Had First Alcoholic Drink to Celebrate 50th Birthday

Tyra Banks apparently just had her first alcoholic beverage as an adult -- and she downed it to ring in the big 5-0 ... but it sounds like she ain't gonna indulge again anytime soon.

The supermodel says she wanted to be her most authentic self as she celebrated her big milestone birthday, which was back in December -- and was inspired to try new things. Tyra spent her special day enjoying a seaplane adventure with her mom and best friend in Australia, where they enjoyed a meal and an alcoholic beverage ... this per a new interview with People.

However, it doesn't sound like whatever she imbibed went down easy -- 'cause she says the booze left her underwhelmed. She added ... "It wasn’t worth it. I was like, ‘This is nasty!’"

Tyra famously has chosen to live a sober lifestyle, having previously avoided drugs and alcohol throughout her career -- and even now at age 50, it seems she's continuing on that path.

Now, Tyra did once say she'd tried a little taste of alcohol when she was 12 ... but she hasn't touched a drop of anything else ... until now.

On the topic of turning 50 in general, Tyra says it's not what she thought it would be. She says ... "I thought I would have little glasses and just have a quilt on my lap and watch soap operas all day. I was wrong. What my life is like now is totally different than what I thought. I'm poppin'. I am not insecure about myself. It feels real good."

These days, Tyra is living in Australia, where she works and lives with her boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin and son York Banks Asla, who she welcomed via surrogacy in 2016.