Boozing On The Job With The FlaskTie

Is spiking your morning coffee just not cutting it anymore? You got a problem! But back in 2012, there was at least a necktie designed to make your beverage habit look a little more professional: the FlaskTie.

The novelty tie looked like ordinary striped officewear, but the wide end hid a flexible drink reservoir. Contemporary coverage put the capacity at about 6 to 8 ounces and the price at $25, with five diagonally striped color combinations available around the product’s 2012 launch. Water, soda, or something stronger could go inside, although the marketing definitely enjoyed the wink-wink possibilities.

How the FlaskTie Worked

Instead of carrying a metal flask in your pocket, the FlaskTie tucked a removable liquid container inside the tie. A flexible tube ran toward the narrow end, where a self-sealing bite valve let the wearer take a sip. In other words, it was basically a tiny hydration pack dressed for a quarterly budget meeting.

The idea was more than a one-off gag. A later U.S. patent assigned to Baxbo, LLC described apparel such as a necktie with an internal liquid-tight container and drinking tube. The patent, granted in 2015, listed Thomas K. Bowen and Shawn W. Baxter as inventors.

That Baxter connection also tracks with contemporary business records. A 2012 MountainWest Capital Network deal-flow report listed Shawn Baxter as principal of The Big Red Button, LLC, a company it described as creating and distributing novelty products such as the Flask Tie. Contemporary coverage also credited Baxter with the Pillow Tie, another office-ready necktie that doubled as something it absolutely was not supposed to be.

The Tie That Took “Business Casual” Too Literally

So yes, the FlaskTie was a real product, not just some Photoshop joke cooked up during a slow afternoon. It was sold as wearable drink storage that happened to look like respectable neckwear, which makes it either a clever hydration solution or the beginning of a very awkward meeting with HR.

Surviving 2012 coverage documents five striped colorways and a capacity of roughly 6 to 8 ounces. That is a little less tidy than the full 8-ounce figure that circulated in some later listings, but it is the best-supported snapshot of the launch-era product.

The product’s retail site, flasktie.co, was associated with the launch, but its current storefront status could not be confirmed for this restoration. The FlaskTie is safest to treat as a wonderfully ridiculous artifact of early-2010s novelty-gadget culture rather than as a product you can count on buying new today.

And if your boss does compliment your new professional look, maybe just say thanks. There is absolutely no reason to demonstrate the plumbing.