The first-ever Absolut India limited edition of mango and pepper flavoured vodka was launched here recently. A highlight of the new launch is that the vodka bottle is designed by an Indian designer to represent India in a bottle.
“Absolut India is a tribute to a multicultural and rich artistic heritage of India and its people. The winning design was crowdsourced from India. With this launch, Absolut has continued its trendsetting tradition of artistic collaboration,” stated Sumeet Lamba, executive director, business development, Pernod Ricard India.
Shaheen Baig, mind behind the design of Absolut India limited edition, said, “I am delighted to be a part of the rich creative heritage of an iconic brand. India is a beautiful colourful cocktail - a mix of interesting ingredients. This is what I endeavoured to showcase through my designs with all things Indian; rich heritage, diversity, liveliness, warmth and colour.” Baig's design was chosen among several others whose designs were crowdsourced.
Kunal Krishna, brand manager, Absolut at Pernod Ricard India, shared, “The designs were selected keeping in mind the parameters such as idea capturing essence of India, style, creativity, boldness and popularity of design through online voting. The designers were given a brief that they have to represent India in a bottle.”
He added, “It took a year long research behind launching and coming up with an edition dedicated to India. Also, it was tough in selecting the right flavour for India and its people. We usually have limited editions in the US since 1980s. We had editions dedicated to cities like New Oeleans, Los Angeles and Boston but here in India we really had to do the much-needed ground study before coming up with such an edition.”
Interestingly, the launch party had exciting offerings of cocktails. Among all the other seven offerings, Indian Summer, a mix of lemon juice and Absolut India limited edition and a piece of cucumber, gained popularity among the people at the venue.
Kartik Mohindra, business head, international brands, Pernod Ricard India, expressed, “Launch of Absolut India is our way of celebrating all that this multifaceted country has to offer; be it culture, heritage, its people, history or colours.”
Absolut India is also planning to come up with city-specific editions in the near future.
