Cheers! The History and Etiquette of the Hip Flask - By: Stewart Hersey

Silver pocket flasks or hip flasks seem to have first appeared in Georgian times and became very popular in the Victorian era. Previously, personal flasks like this were made from glass or leather and their origins date back to medieval times when the pilgrim bottle was associated with religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Like their modern counterparts, these were flat on one side and rounded on the other. However, they often had rings at the base of the neck through which a chain, rope or leather thong could be threaded through allowing the flask to be worn around the body or hung from a saddle.

By about 1800, hip flasks were made in solid silver and in combination with other materials such as glass, through which the level of remaining alcohol could be seen, or covered partly in leather. Often they had a slide off base that could be used as a tumbler substitute, or a screw on cap that could be used like a modern shot glass.

A gentleman would require his hip flask to be filled with his favorite tipple to keep him warm while hunting, fishing or shooting and unlike cheaper hip flasks made from inferior metals, a solid silver hip flask will not impart a metallic taste to the contents. In fact many people believe that their drink tastes better due to the well-known cleansing properties of silver that ionizes liquids.

Most hip flasks only contain the equivalent of four or five pub measures of a spirit, so it would be difficult to get drunk on the contents of the hip flask and therefore they shouldn’t be seen as a drunkard’s accessory. On the contrary, the contents of the hip flask are for sharing along with a suitable toast.

Many people are put off using hip flasks simply because they dislike the taste of neat spirits. If that is the case, substitute the usual filling of whisky, whiskey or brandy with a combination such as Sloe Gin, or on really cold days, Whisky Mac (Scotch and Ginger Wine), Port and Brandy, or equal parts whisky and cherry brandy.

When looking for a hip flask find one with a screw on stopper fixed firmly to the hip flask so can’t be mislaid and one that has a cork insert inside the stopper to prevent drips into your pocket. It’s also sensible to find one with a matching funnel, as decanting the liquid from a bottle to the hip flask needs a steady hand and it is easy to spill the expensive contents!


A silver hip flask from our workshops - a future antique.

If the hip flask is made in solid or sterling silver in England it will be hallmarked by the London or Birmingham Assay Offices to prove its authenticity. The hallmark will show the year it was made and the name of the maker.

The origins of the hip flask date back to medieval times, but their growth in popularity really started in the Georgian and Victorian era's. Made in a variety of materials, the most popular is probably silver and they provide essential winter warming when participating or spectating at sporting events.

You can find a silver hip flask along with other silver gifts for men at the Hersey and Son website.