For any of you that own a hip flask and use it on a regular basis I was wondering if any rules of etiquette exist in regards to when you use it or how and that sort of thing.
The etiquette is to use it at early spring baseball games by adding whiskey to hot chocolate while not getting observed by the ushers.
I tend to use it in movie theaters after the lights are off. Unfortunately, my most convenient flask (with black leather cover) only holds four ounces, and so it is barely worth the carry.
Be discreet, share as needed and don’t get hammered while others have to remain sober.
I carry one when I need a backup to drink service, usually loaded with high proof bourbon. Take a drink of that Coke, refill with booze, and enjoy.
As a fan of fine brown stuff, I’ve looked at a flask a few times… and decided it was just too damned alky to carry one, ever.
I don’t own one, but I’ve looked into them. Problem is on amazon there are many reviews saying many are now cheaply made and leak. So I don’t know where to find a good one that is still affordable.
As to when to use one, when people aren’t watching is always good.
There used to be a site called “The Sovietski Collection” that had flasks imported from Russia with various Russian crests on them. Very high quality flasks, I own maybe a half dozen of them. Check ebay.
They’re great for concerts when you dont feel like paying $8 per drink.
Oh, this is a thread for me!
Love 'em. I’ve been carrying one forever. That said, they’re the opposite of inconspicuous when spotted so they’ve got nothing on the stealth of modern disposable packaging like a re-purposed plastic soda bottle. It’s quaint to be seen drinking from one, unless the person who spots you is some sort of official, bouncer, or bartender. Honestly, that’s probably why I carry one, ironically, to be seen with it - rather than incognito.
I started carrying a flask when I was too poor to drink all night at college bars. I’d buy a few beers because I’m not a total bastard. Then I’d switch to Cokes and spike them with a quick pour under the table. If I felt really cheap, I’d tell the bartender I was the designated driver and get the Coke free. So sometimes I was a total bastard.
After college, most of my flask use has been vacations and conferences - destinations where I was never expected to drive, and I wanted to have a supply of affordable liquor store priced booze on hand. When the conference bar announces that open bar ends at nine, and after that it’s cash, suddenly a bunch of drunken grad students think I’m the smartest guy in the room for having a topped off flask of whiskey in my back pocket.
Dry weddings shudders and funerals are also great times to have a flask on hand. I’ve been the hero of my reception table, and managed to calm a soon to be hysteric after a graveside service (a hefty slug of 101 proof somehow induces a burning calm.)
I think mine came from the engraving store in a mall. It’s held up great. Coleman (the camping company) also makes them, and I’d wager theirs is solid too.
(timed out) mine’s 7oz, and that’s proven to be a good size. Much bigger, and they don’t carry well. Smaller, and why bother? If I’m sharing, I’ll have to duck out at some point to top it off if possible.
How difficult is it really to get a drink anyway? Establishments the serve alcohol are practically everywhere, and you are so desperate for a drink you can’t be without for even a few hours? If I saw anyone using a flask socially who wasn’t a college kid or at a tailgate party I’d kind of assume they had serious alcohol issues. I could be wrong but that’s what I would assume. Most of the people I’ve seen using flasks (who I know) have been alcoholics.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say any number of us were just insulted.
I don’t carry a flask. However, I’ve lived in a few states that had dry and wet counties, and I’ve also gone to a number of events where alcohol wasn’t served. Even if alcohol is served, one might not want to pay the price that’s charged, as noted above. So getting a drink might be a matter of where you live.
I’ve thought about carrying a flask in the crown of my hat, similar to Archchancellor Ridcully.
Yeahbut, you’re all drunks and you won’t remember any of this come the morning.
I rarely drink, so I’m certainly not an alcoholic. I’m just cheap.
Agreed. The difficulty is not in finding a drink. The challenge comes from not overwhelming your entertainment budget. Between my Wife’s Rum Runner plastic flasks and my “water bottle” we can save quite a few dollars every month.
Here in the quaint northeast, the liquor stores sell pocket pouches of booze. I’ve never seen them before; I suspect they’re illegal in California. I regard them much like flasks and while astro might be a little harsh… really, gents, if you have to carry your tipple with you, I can’t think of an argument against saying you’ve got a problem.
On the water, watering holes are few and far between. I often trade a shot for a beer with fellow kayakers.
There’s a very entrenched psychological air surrounding hip flasks- one that can be absolute oodles of fun to play with. Despite the fact that all it is is a shaped metal container for holding liquids that you can buy for a couple bucks at Wal-Mart, people see you carrying one and assume you’re an alcoholic. This makes it so that even though most people use them discreetly, you can achieve wonderful results using one flashily- on more than one occasion, back in college, I used a flask filled with water to distract people enough to let others sneak by with real booze. And when they start seeing through that, you start filling it with liquor yourself.
One more serious note, though: if you carry it next to your body for more than a few hours, it can and will heat up. Bear that in mind if you like it cold.
Nope. I’ve seen them in any number of liquor stores out here. The problem is that they are filled with really cheap booze. If I’m carrying a flask, it’s likely filled with single malt. Stuff that would set you back $20 a shot at a bar.