Staff Picks: Our Editors Put On Their Drinking Caps

Welcome to InsideHook’s Staff Picks, a compendium of all the stuff our editors have been digging on recently. This week, in honor of the Derby and Cinco de Mayo, we’ve chosen some booze items. And hats. Hats you can wear while you drink your booze, if you will.

Five Two Silicone Straws
Until someone solves the plastic straw dilemma — plastic is bad, paper doesn’t work and nobody’s giving out metal straws to keep — this new option from Food52 might be the best way to enjoy a beverage (note: “just don’t use a straw” is stupid and not an option. You try having an iced coffee or smoothie sans a sturdy straw, buddy.).  A bendable, eco-friendly silicone sipper with its own case, these seem impractical to take along to restaurants or bars but great if you’re lounging outside at home or at a picnic. — Kirk Miller, Managing Editor/Nation Editor

Huckberry Explorer’s Cap
Our favorite internet shopping outlet teamed up with the legends at Ebbet’s Field Flannels to create this series of cotton flannel hats. They’re thick and sturdy and will last you quite a while. Full disclosure, these are some hefty hatties, and aren’t the most breathable things, so they’re probably not the cap you want to bust out in 90 degree weather but they’re sturdy and comfy all the same. Plus the H can stand for whatever you want it to! Provided that words starts with H, of course. — Eli London, Director of Partnerships and User Acquisition

Marquis® by Waterford Markham Double Old Fashioned Glasses
Shoutout to my grandma on an epic wedding gift — can’t help but feel like a boss sipping out of one of these bad boys, and the Marquis line is priced reasonably enough that if I were to drop one I wouldn’t feel the need to commit harakiri over it. — Danny Agnew, Creative Director

Onyx Ice Cube Tray
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who fill up the ice tray when its empty and dishonorable degenerates who stick it back in the freezer for someone else to do it. Make sure you’re more motivated to be the former with this handsome stainless steel 18-slot tray from Onyx. Equipped with a lever for prying your cubes out of the tray like an ice ninja, the tray’s two-part system dates back to the ‘50s and we’re pretty sure Don Draper would have used one if he had the chance. Also, you can never have enough ice.  — Evan Bleier, Staff Writer

Williams Martini Formula 1 Racing Caps
I’m not a hat guy or a wear-a-big-brand-logo guy. However, I am forced to wear hats until October because of my Irish ancestry and can make exceptions in the logo department for the iconic Martini livery. Lucky for me, and everyone driving with the top down, all of the Williams Martini Formula 1 gear is on sale, including this team cap. For those in the know, they’ve since parted ways (thus the discounts) and these may end up being collectors items. For those not in the know, just keep it in your glovebox for sunny drives — the road tripping families you pass on the freeway will be none the wiser. — Alex Lauer, Senior Editor

Ford’s London Dry Gin
It’s always Martini season for me, but I’m honestly more interested in the cocktail as the weather warms up. The one problem is — and I’m sort of embarrassed about this — I’ve never settled on a gin. I like … different gins? Variety is the spice of life and all that junk. But I did stumble across this Serious Eats article from a few years ago and decided that this summer I start making my in-house (aka my Brooklyn apartment) Martinis using Ford’s London dry gin. I want a gin that makes me feel like I just walked through a forrest of juniper trees and got a cup of juice to wash the taste out of my mouth when I made it out the other side. You know who does that better than anybody? Yup. Ford’s. — Jason Diamond, Features Editor

Himalayan Salt Tequila Glasses- Set of 4
Everyone knows the tequila shot process: lick the back of your hand between your thumb and index finger, spread the salt, lick said salty area , drink the tequila, suck on the lime. A fun but kinda gross and sticky ordeal (does anyone really want to see you lick your hand?) So maybe it’s time to refine your tequila shooting technique, like right now, with these Himalayan Salt Tequila Glasses. Hand-carved from Himalayan salt, these glasses will give your shot of tequila or mezcal that salty finish without the mess. And salt is naturally antibacterial and super stable, which means they can go for multiple rounds, or until you hit the floor. — Logan Mahan, Editorial Intern