The Hip Flask Guide

When you buy something using the affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission.

Soldiers, explorers and even a pope (Pius XII) carried a hip flask – the latter “for medical reasons”. It’s a traditional men’s accessory, but it definitely has its DOs and DON’Ts. The Gentleman’s Gazette prepared this little guide to help you handle this classic accessory with care.

Hip flasks, also known simply as a flask, is a container specifically designed to hold a portion of hard liquor that is carried in a pocket. O.O. McIntyre, a Washington Herald columnist, wrote in 1920:

And then the party started/And there were ten flasks

Removed from the hip/In that many seconds

And the way they drank it/One would get the idea

That this was a free country

While it may be a symbol of freedom, the flask most certainly has a time and a place. We will explore the history of the flask, buying and caring for a flask, and flask etiquette.

History of the Hip Flask

History of the Flask
The History of the Flask [Image Credit: Drunkard]

This excellent infographic from drunkard.com shows how the flask evolved from a rudimentary animal bladder in the Stone Age to sleek stainless steel vessel it is today. Over time, the flask or canteen has evolved from being a personal carrier of liquids to being almost exclusively for the transport and consumption of hard alcohol.

Through history, there have been some important developments in the transportation of liquids. Before the modern era, alcohol was useful for its preservation and sterilization properties when clean drinking water was hard to find. Drinking alcoholic beverages, such as beer and wine fermented from local crops, was first foremost a practical health measure. One needed to carry trustworthy liquids with them and as a result, nearly every culture developed their own form of a flask.

Some say it all started with the hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari, in Southern Africa, 60,000 years ago: they used ostrich eggshells as canteens. Earthenware containers evolved around 2000 BC and were eventually replaced with more modern materials such as glass and metal. From approximately 500AD to the Middle Ages, Pilgrim flasks were created by the thousands for Christian pilgrims to take home water or oil from a sacred place.

The modern flask – a sleek beverage bottle – may have started with the advent of the pocket watch. The notion of carrying something in an easy and practical way developed in the 18th century in England, but followed different ways: the landed gentry adopted the pocket watch and the workers started carrying the hip flask.

It’s not exactly known when, but it was approximately at this juncture when the flask was beginning to take the modern shape with a rounded rectangular body that was curved to match the contours of the body. This shape makes it less visible in the pocket than a square-edged shape.

Prohibition and the Flask in America

Prohibition radically changed drinking in America, and as you can imagine, if you wanted a drink it was best to conceal it.

A hipster
A hipster [Image Credit: Merriam-Webster]

Around this time, the watch and the hip flask traded places: the wristwatch became commonplace (it surpassed the pocket watch in the 1930s) and the hip flask found its way in the urban gentleman’s collection of accessories around 1920 when it gained its name.

A bootlegger
A bootlegger [Image Credit: Pinterest]

The word “hipster” was used to identify people that carried hip flasks during Prohibition. Also, if you carried a flask, you were dubbed a vial villain, a gentleman from Kentucky or my favorite, suffering from hip disease.

They were also carried by ladies tucked in garters or by men in boots – thus the word “bootlegging”.

Prohibition is coming, stock before it begins
Prohibition is coming, stock before it begins [Image Credit: Mary Miley]

Some states, such as Indiana, banned the sale of hip flasks and cocktail shakers. This was probably due to the fact that more flasks were sold in the first six months of Prohibition than during the entire previous decade…

Post-Prohibition

The RAF revolver, or "hip flask"
The RAF revolver, or “hip flask”

In the mid-20th century, the most prominent users of flasks were soldiers, who carried canteens out of necessity. During World War II, they were called pocket pistols, along with other slang terms; on the other hand, RAF pilots referred to their service revolvers as hip flasks.

Today

Today, in a world in which every imaginable specialized beverage container is available, the flask is used primarily to carry one’s private supply of hard alcohol. It’s commonly given as a groomsman’s gift.

Hip Flask or Coat Flask?

It is so called because it may be placed in a hip pocket of trousers or inside a coat or blazer. The latter is the best because it will not warm the alcohol, while the hip pocket will.

Not so good: the hip pocket proper
Not so good: the hip pocket proper [Image Credit: DHGate]

Carrying it in the trouser pocket makes it more prone to breaking, bending, or appearing obvious.

A rectangular stainless steel hip flask
A rectangular stainless steel hip flask [Image Credit: Amazon]

Its shape – thin and curved, similar to a kidney – made them easy to conceal.

The round hip flask with a leather cover by Barbour
The round hip flask with a leather cover by Barbour [Image Credit: M.W Reynolds]

A Great Gift

Hip flask as a gift for a best man
A hip flask as a gift for a best man

Another similarity between watches and flasks lies in the possibility of engraving both with initials, coats of arms or crests, toasts, mementos, etc. As such, it makes an interesting gift for a best man or groomsmen, for instance.

Hip Flask Materials

An English glass and silver hip flask
An English glass and silver hip flask

They have been produced in a variety of materials, but mostly in pewter, glass, silver and stainless steel. The first material used for hip flasks was glass, with its neutral effect on flavors or aromas as an upside, but with its fragility and weight as a downside.

A hammered pewter flask
A hammered pewter flask [Image Credit: Fine Wine Accessories]

Then came pewter – a metal alloy made from tin and a mixture of copper, antimony, bismuth, silver, and lead, which now is forbidden in drinkware. Pewter started as a kitchenware material in the Bronze Age. It is a beautiful material to be worked with, but one that may alter negatively the flavors of the spirit, unless it has a neutral lining. It is softer than most materials but may gain a nice patina from usage.

 A vintage silver hip flask with a detachable bottom
A vintage silver hip flask with a detachable bottom

Silver was also used, and now these hip flasks are a prized collector’s item. Some have a detachable bottom part that serves as a drinking cup – very handy in situations where drinking straight from the flask is not advisable.

Stainless steel flask with leather cover
Stainless steel flask with leather cover [Image Credit: M.W Reynolds]

But stainless steel, with a good combination of hygiene, price, and resistance to deformation, is the material of choice for hip flasks. Many come with a captive top, a small arm (also called a bayonet cap) attached to the top cap to prevent it from getting lost. Some are partially or fully covered with leather or a material resembling it, which may or not be removed for cleaning.

Talking about it, you may – actually, you should – clean your flask externally and internally with dishwashing liquid, but not with soap: it leaves residues that will alter the liquor. Rinse it well and let it air dry.

Hip flask with funnel
Hip flask with funnel [Image Credit: Amazon]

Some flasks come with a small funnel of the same material to help to fill the flask up without spilling the precious spirit. They may also be purchased separately and I strongly recommend you to have one.

Sizes

They are made in many sizes
They are made in many sizes [Image Credit: Walmart]

As to size, you may find a shot-sized flask up to a massive one that may hold 1,89 liters. However, the standard is 8 oz, which is just over 5 shots of hard alcohol.

Hard liquor only!
Hard liquor only! [Image Credit: Hagerstown Liquor Indiana]

Fill Your Flask

What should you put in it? The experts are unanimous: hard liquor only, which means 80 proof and above. Whiskey, bourbon, rum, gin, brandy (Cognac, Armagnac) are fine. Lower alcohol beverages such as beer or wine don’t keep well in a flask, nor do cocktails, cream liqueurs, or citrus-based liquids. They will deteriorate or mix badly with the flask material, and some may even damage it. Flavored alcohol will not stay fresh, either. Port wine is a possible exception to the 80-proof rule, especially if you plan to smoke a cigar with it.

Cigar case with a tubular flask
Cigar case with a tubular flask [Image Credit: Tommy Bahama]

By the way, the best companion for a hip flask is – for those who enjoy a smoke – a cigar case. A good sip without a cigar will be a half pleasure, something to be avoided, especially in a nice and relaxing place such as the hill you have just conquered after a difficult path, looking at a great and sunny landscape. Just be sure to carry stogies (plural, if you are with friends) that are compatible in strength and flavor with the spirit in the flask.

Storage

How long may you keep the spirit in a flask? You should not leave it for longer than a week, as an upper limit; ideally, you should carry your day’s quota and drink it on the same day. Some say that anything over three days will make the beverage acquire a metallic taste from the flask. If you do not plan to drink the flask content promptly, transfer it to a glass container. Also, put the flask with alcohol in a cool and dark place; this may slow the development of the metallic taste.

Flask Etiquette

The truth of flask etiquette is that there are very few scenarios in which it is appropriate to carry and drink from a flask. Just consider how flasks are depicted on TV: they are almost always used by a character who is reliably inappropriate, often drunk, or disrespectful of social norms. There simply aren’t many social situations in which bringing your own supply of liquor is encouraged or acceptable. Furthermore, the “need” to bring a flask implies that the scenario is one in which you shouldn’t be drinking.

Be careful with the "open container law"
Be careful with the “open container law” [Image Credit: Flasks]

Our advice is to choose carefully when you carry and drink from a flask.

Here are a few flask Dos and DON’Ts:

  • DO be aware that though Prohibition is long gone, many states have open container laws that prohibit bottles, cans, and flasks with a broken seal or that have been previously opened from being carried in public (aside from a car trunk). Check your local laws.
  • DON’T attempt take a filled flask on an airplane, as they won’t let in outside alcohol nor will it pass the TSA
  • DO carry it to a wedding party, a friend’s house or other private places where you know you will not find your favorite spirit
  • DON’T carry a flask purely with the intent to get drunk; that’s not gentlemanly anywhere
  • DON’T take a flask into bars or restaurants as a way to save on the drinks that should be bought there, even if it is your best 20-y.o. single malt. It is rude and cheap, two things unbecoming of a gentleman.
  • DO remember to offer your friends a sip from your flask once it’s open
  • DON’T take a flask to situations where you would not drink out of respect –a religious service, funeral, a government building, etc.
  • DO be prepared to experience some judgment from the people around you
  • DON’T carry more liquor than you can consume without embarrassing yourself
  • DO plan a safe ride home
  • DON’T make carrying a flask become your personal hallmark; carry it sparingly

Conclusion

One of the all-time favorite gent’s accessories, the popularity of the hip flask shows no sign of abating. You will find a great number of options on some websites, such as in this great article by The Independent, here, or at Amazon.com. What about you? Which hip flask style suits you best?

Outfit Rundown

A summary combination consisting of a gray fresco jacket and seersucker pants while holding a flask.
A summary combination consisting of a gray fresco jacket and seersucker pants while holding a flask.
Two-Tone Knit Tie in Navy and Light Blue Changeant Silk - Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Two-Tone Knit Tie in Navy and Light Blue Changeant Silk

White Phlox Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower

Fort Belvedere

White Phlox Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower

Light Blue Linen Pocket Square with Blue Handrolled Cross X Stitch - Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Light Blue Linen Pocket Square with Blue Handrolled Cross X Stitch

Grey Socks with Light Grey and Black Clocks in Cotton

Fort Belvedere

Grey Socks with Light Grey and Black Clocks in Cotton

I am wearing a summery combination consisting of a fresco jacket in grey which is part of a suit. In this case, I’m combining it with a pair of seersucker trousers, a white cuff link shirt, and a knit tie in a mottled blue and dark blue. The pocket square and the boutonniere are white. I am carrying my flask in my right coat pocket because in my left one I have the pocket square and so it kind of evens it out. My shoes are burgundy double monk straps with silver buckles and I picked up the same colors in my leather belt. To tie it all together I opted for a pair of grey socks that pick up the grey color of the jacket but at the same time, it contrasts with the shoes as well as with the pants. Check out our guide on how to combine shoes, jackets, and pants.

Reader Comments

  1. I have a collection of flasks, and I did use them when I was young. They were particularly nice when going to the movies, to goose up a coke. I also used to go on long hikes in the California desert, and the flask was useful then. Disneyland was much more fun with a flask. Basically there aren’t many places where they can be used now, and they are considered an open container. Truly a blast from the past.

  2. I still have an old silver flask that once belonged to my great-grandfather. I cherish it as an heirloom but I hardly ever use it, simply because I am not particularly fond of hard liquor. Apart from that, I would not want the smell of liquor on my breath during everyday situations. Mine has a screw top that is used as a small shot glass – which I find more dignified, as I do not like drinking straight from a bottle or indeed a flask. I am not sure about your advice though of carrying it to a wedding, a friend’s house or some other function where I would not find my favourite spirt. I would consider it disrespectful as it signals to the host that you’re not happy with the drinks he offers.
    But perhaps one more of the Dos and Don’ts: If you use it, use it with confidence, don’t apologise and never take it out furtively, because then you’ll be considered a closet drinker. Rather strive for the self-confident and debonair attitude of Roger Moore taking out a flask from his tweed jacket: “Well, it’s 4 hours since breakfast.”

  3. So to “share with a friend” presumes that you don’t wrap your lips around the opening as Al Hirt would while playing his trumpet! Am I correct in assuming that ones lips shouldn’t make contact with the flask when it’s being used by more than ones own self?

  4. I carry mine filled with mouthwash, for an evening out, for a minty freshness after dinner. After reading your article, I may have to get a cigar carrier to carry a travel toothbrush and toothpaste (floss & toothpicks).

  5. Sporting events good place. Hiking. Zombie apocalypse. Leather wrapped nice feel. Goes great with fall tweeds and boring companions. When visiting graveyards it is polite to pour a little spirit on the plot of departed friends. Not too much however…bad for health. Pull it out at tax audits and sentencings. Remember, sobriety is the vice of life.

    1. Always take a hip flask to the football. All they serve is flat beer and a man likes to have a nice drink while encouraging the players to perform on the field.

  6. In England and Scotland a farmer would offer a sip of his old sheep dip to another. Then a company started selling scotch called old sheep dip. Good scotch-the last of which I had many years ago.

  7. nice and interesting blog.. i loved reading this article.. Thank you for sharing such useful information.

  8. Here in England flasks are comonly caried in the shooting field when shooting driven birds.I carry one designed by Archibald nox made from pewter as a working pewter Smith I would like to point out that the moder mix for pewter is tin antomany and copper we no longer use lead or bismuth.l have never now pewter affect the flavor of the contents of a flask

  9. I enjoyed reading this article and watching the video as well. As a boy I viewed men who carried hip flasks as being cool enough to hang with Steve McQueen. To borrow a line from the ad found in the magazine issues of the day, they were “the sort of man who reads Playboy.”
    Some years ago I happened upon one at a garage sale that badly needed cleaning and care. The seller assumed it was pewter and I liked that the cap telescoped into a shot cup. An hour of work with some good silver cream and I realized that my ten dollar purchase was an art deco sterling silver beauty made by Napier. It is one of my favorite treasures, though I seldom carry it. Perhaps if I had a convertible sports car or went on sooting parties.
    Thanks for the good article.

Comments are closed.