The Absolut barman cometh

The Swedish vodka Absolut is the cream of the premium, median-priced crop. Which means you can find it in almost any bar in the world, a marked change from the results of market research done in 1979, which revealed that no one would buy Swedish vodka. Fast forward 25 years later, and the government-owned vodka company has produced over one billion bottles of premium vodka – making it the third largest international spirit in the world.

Vodka, made from winter wheat, comes from only one source: A village in Ahus in southern Sweden. So, every bottle, whether distributed in China, India or Poland, comes from the very same source, which assures consumers of consistent, superior quality and flavor, something that Jonny Palsson, consultant to Absolut, considers its best asset.

"Absolut ships about 10,000 bottles a day around the world," Palsson explains. "And each bottle comes from the same place, contains the same amount of grain (one kilo) and is processed in exactly the same way. Since the brand is not licensed, its production comes from a single source, and that means you get the same quality."

Palsson, a traveling consultant who goes round the world to educate barmen and the media on the brand and demonstrates new ways to mix drinks, was here recently to show local restaurateurs and bar owners a thing or two.

Clear Cut

"People like clarity, simplicity and perfection," he informs a group of 20-plus bartenders one lazy afternoon. Vodka, by definition, is transparent. Colored versions are considered liquor. While the different flavored Absolut vodkas may appear colored, as seen with the Mandrin and the recently launched Raspberri, it’s only the bottle that adds color. If the misspelled names make you wonder (just like the distinctively-named Vanilia), it’s because the company cannot patent a flavor, like vanilla, so another cleverly misspelled version is created. Check your Absolut bottles. None of the flavors are spelled properly."

Orient Express

Though Asia numbers only three percent of Absolut’s worldwide sales (America clocks in at a staggering 60 percent, while Europe follows with a respectable 37 percent), Absolut still continues to cater to the Asian market, doing what it can to make the brand more palatable to Asian taste buds.

"People drink differently around the world," shares Palsson, an established connoisseur of drinks, having spent more than three-fourths of a year – for almost 20 years now – traveling the globe, observing local customs and educating locals on cool, new ways to enjoy the 25-year-old label. "Europeans prefer sour flavors, while South Americans prefer bitter. North Americans go for any and every flavor, while Asians, of course, favor the sweet." This makes Absolut Vanilia, launched only last year, perfect for our tropical shores.

"Perhaps it’s the heat," Palsson wonders. "When you’re dealing with this kind of sun, you just need something refreshing and sweet to cool you down."

While the traditional Absolut vodka, a rich, complex, full-bodied brew, is considered the gold standard, the newer brighter flavors are a joy to mix and match. After all, "vodka is the easiest thing to mix," according to Palsson. "You can mix it with Coke, fruit juice or even chocolate beverages."

The vodka retains the character of the grains, making it layered, rich and aromatic. Infused with flavor, either by using the juice, skin or rind (whichever adds up to the best final taste), the result is often fruity and heady, but still preserves its smooth flavor.

Absolut Vanilia has a distinct character of vanilla with notes of butterscotch and hints of dark chocolate. Palsson had a great idea for serving this sweet libation. Simply put a small amount of the vanilla vodka in a shot glass, drink, and then follow it with a bite of green apple dusted with cinnamon. The result? A drink that tastes just like apple pie. It’s a perfect alternative to the tired tequila-and-lime routine.

Absolut-Ly Fabulous

Absolut has distinguished itself from the rest of the pack as a vanguard in the ad industry, with its iconic campaigns that have garnered renown for their clever wordplay and visual puzzles (Adage magazine even named it one of the 10 best ad campaigns of the 20th century), making it a luxury brand on par with the likes of Gucci and Ferrari. Even its below-the-line campaigns and product placements, as seen in shows like Sex and the City (the final season included a campaign featuring hottie Smith Jerrod as the Absolut hunk), while mini-films, directed by the likes of Sam Raimi (of Spiderman fame), feature the recognizable bottle as set props. The brand has managed to straddle the line between establishment, as a well-known international label, and cult favorite.

"It’s now a fashion brand," Palsson says with a shrug. The label even has garments designed by the world’s foremost fashion designers – only for display, of course. The brand is so fashion-conscious that even one of its ads, featuring supermodels wearing Versace in large-scale ice sculptures in the shape of the bottle, was tagged "Absolut Ritts," a reference to acclaimed fashion photographer Herb Ritts who has photographed everyone from Madonna to Kate Moss to Nelson Mandela.

No other liquor label has been able to capture the zeitgeist of the fashion-loving, booze-guzzling public the way Absolut has. It’s combined high-fashion with its quirky high-concept approach to the way we drink, making it the weapon of choice for any hostess on a mission.