Busting bar myths: Flavored vodka

May 11, 3:06 PMBartender ExaminerKathleen Neves

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What company was the first to introduce flavored vodka and what was the first flavor? In 1979, the United States was introduced to Absolut vodka from Sweden. Absolut has since become one of the leading brands of alcohol in the world due to its aggressive ad campaign which began in the 1980.

Absolut introduced the world’s first flavored vodka, Absolut Peppar, in 1986. Why pepper? The two main ingredients in a Bloody Mary are vodka and pepper. At the time Absolut Peppar was introduced, Bloody Mary bars were all the rage in the United States. Therefore, it only seemed fitting to Absolut to create flavored vodka that would make it even easier for bartenders to make Bloody Marys. There are now ten flavored vodkas in the Absolut line which include: Absolut Citron, Absolut Kurant, Absolut Mandrin, Absolut Vanilla, Absolut Raspberry, Absolut Peach, Absolut Ruby Red, Absolut Pear and Absolut Mango.

The Absolut bottle was inspired by a traditional 18th century pharmacy bottle that was found in an antique shop located in old town Stockholm. Absolut’s marketing department originally turned down the bottle design because of the short neck which made the bottle hard to pour from. Also, the marketing department didn’t like the fact that there wasn’t an actual label on the bottle. Despite the disapproval from the marketing department, Absolut proceeded forward with the bottle design and as they say, the rest is history.

For more information, visit the Absolut website.