Whether it’s a cocktail event or just another weekend, the quality and the reputation of your alcohol sets the tone of the evening—a drink that is smooth and where the flavours all come together to create magic. With Absolut and its fame as one of the world’s best vodkas, the advantage is that you’ll never have to worry about what goes into your cocktail.

Absolut, as a brand, is a staple across bars, restaurants, and homes worldwide. But not everyone knows that the vodka, in its entirety, is made in a small town of 10,000 people called Ahus in the Skane region of southern Sweden. The area is known for its winter wheat crop, which is rich in starch and low in protein, and hence can be easily converted to fermentable sugar, which in turn is distilled to make vodka. Water, the other primary ingredient, comes from natural underground aquifers that are spread around the area.

Every drop of water and seed of wheat used in making Absolut comes from the same region and the same community. This ensures that no matter where you’re sipping your Absolut vodka in the world, the taste will always be the same – smooth and full-bodied with hints of the grain that it is made from. What this means is that your Bloody Mary will always have the same great taste when you use Absolut.

Another significant aspect of Absolut is its commitment to its distillation process. Lars Olsson Smith founded Absolut Rent Brännvin, Absolut Pure Vodka in 1879, and brought the continuous distillation process to Sweden — a completely new method for purifying vodka on a large scale. This method revolutionised the industry. The brand continues with the legacy of L.O Smith using the same distillation process. The vodka has zero sugar and is distilled infinitely, making it of the highest quality.

The fact that Absolut is a single source vodka where everything is sourced made in the same area, and the same community was the subject of the brand’s iconic One Source advertising campaign featuring South African hip-hop star Khuli Chana a few years ago.  The campaign honoured the brand’s One Source, One Community philosophy and the consumer’s faith in the vodka.

A brand loyal to its customers knows the importance of familiarity, which ensures that the consumer can feel a sense of attachment with every aspect of its character. That’s also why the silhouette of the Absolut vodka bottle, inspired by an 18th-century apothecary bottle, hasn’t changed since the time it was introduced in the late 1970s. It is arguably one of its most recognised and distinctive bottle shapes in the modern world, along with the likes of Coca Cola.

Over the years, the bottle has become as much a part of Absolut’s story as its distinctive flavour and One Source story. This has been mainly because the Absolut bottle was turned into a canvas for art by some of the world’s most creative artists. The story starts with pop culture legend Andy Warhol who created the iconic  Absolut Warhol bottle in 1985 using a rainbow of colours. It was a worldwide hit, and the success inspired the company to invite a range of other artists to do the same. Over the last 35 years, more than 550 artists have collaborated with Absolut to create their own distinctive artworks, including Francesco Clemente, Louise Bourgeois, Rosemarie Trockel, Angus Fairhurst, Jan Saudek, Béatrice Cussol, and Anish Kapoor. There are over 850 pieces of Absolut art on display at the ‘Spritmuseum’ in Stockholm.

Absolut’s other major masterstroke was the introduction of a range of flavoured vodkas, which became an instant success worldwide. The brand keeps the excitement alive by introducing newer flavours frequently. The Absolut Grapefruit is among the more recent addition to the brand’s iconic flavour portfolio, including Absolut Citron, Mandarin, Raspberry, and Lime. Absolut Grapefruit has a truly refreshing taste and well-balanced natural sweetness with a distinct character of pink grapefruit. This new flavour has no added sugar and is perfect for making some new exciting cocktails in the upcoming festive season.

All these stories add up to what has helped Absolut redefine the premium vodka landscape around the world over the last five decades.