The latest limited edition from Bombay Sapphire features L.A. artist Steven Harrington. (photos courtesy of the brand)

I don’t know why, exactly, but it can be easy to forget that drinking is meant to be fun. It was in that spirit that I recently gifted a bottle of limited edition Bombay Sapphire to some close friends. Their bar cart is actually a shelf above a wide credenza, and their good stuff sits visible to any and all residents of their living room/dining room. My bottle adds a little welcome pop and interest.

Or dare I say, Pop interest. This curiosity, which appeared over the summer, is a collaboration between the storied gin maker and California artist Steven Harrington. He’s one of those guys whose stuff you have probably seen and might not have known it; he has taken a West Coast psychedelic pop sensibility to virtuosic heights (and wide distribution). His fans have gobbled up the bottles on sight; at under $25, they are a real value.

A closer look at the whimsical collectible.

The illustration features the 10 vapor-infused botanicals that comprise Bombay Sapphire, floating around a lively tropical collage of object and squiggles, including the palm tree characters Harrington’s known for, plus paint splashes and artist tools.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Harrington was recommended by the creator of last summer’s inaugural limited edition, Chicago titan Hebru Brantley. 

The marketing folks note that both Harrington and Bombay Sapphire possess a “shared value of sustainability,” and indeed the shelf stalwart was the first major gin brand to be made with 100% sustainably sourced botanicals. As we’ve noted before, you can go there and see for yourself—but if you can’t make that escape just now, the Harrington bottle will transport you, a little, all on its own.