The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
After months of grey-washed skies and rain-laced mornings, something peculiar happens to the English when the mercury dares to rise above fifteen degrees: the nation begins to behave like a people let loose from hibernation. The parks swell with picnic rugs, every square inch of terrace becomes a suntrap, and somewhere between May and September, an unspoken decree goes into effect: all socialising must happen outdoors.
But there is a particular kind of English summer celebration that stands apart — rarer than a full Wimbledon fortnight without rain and every bit as cherished. The London summer lawn party.
For the more refined set, this isn’t simply a garden gathering. It’s an orchestrated affair of linen suits and flowing dresses, a stage where old-world civility meets just enough mischief to keep the champagne flowing past sunset. It’s Glyndebourne and Henley, G&T’s and petit fours, string quartets drifting into disco by dusk. It’s polite applause under parasols and the occasional flirtation beside the croquet hoops. This is England not as it is every day — but as it imagines itself at its most civilised.
At these gatherings, setting is everything. The lawn must be pristine, bordering on theatrical. Topiary trimmed within an inch of its life. Ice buckets sunk into marble urns. And of course, that soft-spoken arms race of the season’s most enviable drinks tray.
This summer, the conversation piece of England’s lawn party season is not a guest, but a vessel: Hendrick’s Gin’s new Whimsical Watering Can. Equal parts charming absurdity and functional delight, this limited-edition oddity from the beloved Scottish gin-maker has made its grand debut — not in boutiques or bars, but rather through airport shelves, exclusively via Global Travel Retail.
Crafted as a most unusual companion to the classic 70cl bottle of Hendrick’s Gin, the Whimsical Watering Can takes its cues from the garden — where cucumber vines might creep, or guests may sip. Its curved, vintage form would not look out of place among the Victorian glasshouses of Kew, yet it has an irreverent sparkle unmistakably Hendrick’s. Yes, it can water your cucumber plants — but it is far more fun when filled with a punch and shared, responsibly, among friends wearing silk cravats and oversized sunglasses.
As music lilts from a vintage gramophone (or Bluetooth speaker artfully disguised), and guests mill between parasols and strawberry beds, the centrepiece becomes clear: a glinting watering can filled with Hendrick’s Summer Punch.
The concoction is everything a London summer lawn party ought to be: fresh, floral, just a touch eccentric. Hendrick’s — with its signature infusion of rose and cucumber — forms the backbone. Elderflower cordial and cloudy apple juice round out the bouquet, while lemon juice adds the necessary zip. A dash of Maraschino liqueur lifts it into territory far above your average spritz.
Serves 3–4 (or two, if one is especially parched)
+ 150ml Hendrick’s Gin
+ 60ml fresh lemon juice
+ 25ml elderflower cordial
+ 300ml cloudy apple juice
+ 10ml Maraschino liqueur
Mix directly into the freshly washed Whimsical Watering Can, toss in summer fruits — think strawberries, raspberries, lemon wheels, and of course, cucumber slices — and serve in teacups or coupe glasses over ice. A mint sprig and a smirk are the only garnishes required.
Lesley Gracie, the alchemist behind every drop of Hendrick’s, is something of a legend in the world of spirits. Since her first concoction in 1999 — a gin infused with cucumber and rose before such things were fashionable — she has continued to build a brand that sits somewhere between apothecary and theatre. The Whimsical Watering Can is her latest oddity, created to honour the joys of summer and the peculiar pleasure of making something beautiful just because one can.
Available through select airports globally — from London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle to Singapore Changi and JFK — this limited edition set won’t last long. So if you’re bound for the Côte d’Azur, the Amalfi Coast or simply on your way back to the Cotswolds, consider it your duty to pick up a can for the season.
As the string quartet gives way to something with a beat, and dancing begins in bare feet under fairy lights, one might glance across the garden and see someone holding a watering can to their lips — pouring pale punch into a porcelain teacup. They’ll smile, raise a toast to cucumber season, and continue the very English business of celebrating summer as only this strange, wonderful island knows how.
Because here, when the sun decides to show up, we throw a party like nowhere else on earth — and this year, Hendrick’s Gin has just made it that little bit more peculiar
