A sleek Hendrick’s hip flask

Jeweller Hannah Martin’s super-chic limited-edition creation

Gin is enjoying a renaissance similar to the one experienced by vodka at the turn of this century, when it was impossible to enter a London home without being offered a V&T. Hendrick’s has quietly been leading the march to reclaim gin – a march that has led from Scotland, where the spirit is made in minuscule batches of just 450 litres in copper pots and infused with cucumber and rose.  

For those who like to keep their liquor to hand, Hendrick’s has collaborated with fine-jewellery designer Hannah Martin to create a very special limited-edition hip flask. The piece is presented in a handmade leather travelling bag that also contains a specially designed silk and cashmere scarf made by Scottish tailor Walker Slater. The set is completed, of course, with a bottle of Hendrick’s gin.

“The colours are inspired by that of Hendrick’s, while the back of the hip flask neatly follows the same curve as the gin bottle,” explains Martin. Each one is individually hand-blown in Norfolk and then encased in green leather. “The flask is made entirely by hand using specialist UK craftsmen who share our values, which was a very important factor for me and for Hendrick’s.”

Hip flasks became popular in the 18th century, when it was de rigueur to have a flask to hand in the field to keep out the cold. However, perhaps in not helping to make their owners the slickest of shots, they fell out of favour. “The hip flask is an object that is currently much maligned. However, it was once considered an accessory of high fashion and carries with it a rich history of ritual, stories and, of course, adventure,” says Duncan McRae, who has the enviable role of being a British ambassador for Hendrick’s.

Just 50 hip flasks and accoutrements (£795) are available to buy from Harrods from November. Gin has been reclaimed. And it is now, literally, hip.