For a company based in decidedly untropical southern Sweden, Absolut Vokda sure knows how to capture the flavor of the tropics and sell it. Absolut Mango, the brand’s newest baby, has the full-bodied fiesta flavor, thanks to the popular fruit from which it is made. This latest discovery should draw in discriminating Pinoy boozehounds with its spot-on sweetness and total mixability.
At the mini-launch held at Sala in Greenbelt, a few lucky lushes licked their lips at some masterful mash-ups. First there was Absolut Mango with apple juice, a combo that doesn’t immediately come to mind but works nonetheless. Why, you ask? The two tart tastes enhance each other and, when spiked with just the right number of ice cubes, it slides down the gullet in a smooth, sunny stream. On that sweet note, guests sampled another cool concoction later in the evening. This time, it was a cocktail called Ping Pong – Absolut Mango masterfully muddled with fresh lychee and passionfruit. It’s a mix with a PG-13 tang and an X-rated wallop.
Following its other fruit-based forebears Absolut Citron, Absolut Pears, Absolut Ruby Red, and Absolut Apeach, this one also comes in the iconic transparent bottle, a blend of traditional Swedish glass-making craft and artsy asymmetric design. In 2007, the liquor business began its “In An Absolut World” campaign which involved what-if scenarios of an ideal, or Absolut, reality. If one were to be created for the Philippines, it would probably consist of a bunch of life-loving adults sipping sweet nectar, celebrating the fact that the essence of their favorite fruit has successfully been bottled.
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Absolut Mango is now available in better liquor stores. The 750 ml. bottle costs P665. — Gino de la Paz