imagine you have it away yourvodka ? mean again . As one ofSweden’smost popular exports , Absolut vodka has been fillingmartini glassesand warming hearts worldwide since 1879 . And when you ’re in the game that long , you progress up quite an interesting history .
FromAndy Warhol’sbeard to eighteenth - century apothecaries anda monumental geographic area completely devoted to vodka production , here are 17 Absolut - associate trivia tidbits to ready your brainpower for your nextcocktail partyconversation .
1. The old guy depicted on each bottle’s seal is the company’s founder
And he was a jolly big batch . In 1877 , Lars Olsson Smith came up with a revolutionary fresh way to distil liquor without creating fusel alcohol , lead in a sportsmanlike , more pure tone without any off - flavors .
2. He originally refused to sell his vodka in Stockholm
As an F - you to Stockholm ’s former liquor monopoly , founding father L.O. Smith refused to get the required pot liquor permission and instead set up a shop on a nearby island and bid free ferry rides to anyone who desire to visit . That ’s some genius merchandising .
3. Andy Warhol used Absolut vodka as an aftershave
The outre pop artist adore the steel ’s minimalist aesthetic and play an enormous role in Absolut ’s rise to ethnical - icon status here in the States ( as a potable , not as an aftershave – not sure where he was going with that ) . Throughout his prolific career , Warhol created over 50 different pieces centered around the almighty bottle .
4. And, thanks to Andy, America has become the Swedish company’s largest market
Forty - five percent of it , in fact . Absolut ’s Åhus distillery cranks out half a million bottles a day just to fulfill the needs of American vodka enthusiasts .
5. There’s a real geographical area called the “Vodka Belt”
The area , which has Scandinavia at its western edge and also includes Russia and much of Eastern Europe , makes up the core of the vodka - producing man . Longstanding protectors of custom , Vodka Belt country only recognize spirits distilled from grain or white potato as real vodka ( no-good Diddy ) .
6. The producers were locavores way before it was a thing
Everything needed to grow Absolut ’s core brand name is grown within a 75 - mile radius of Absolut ’s distillery in Åhus , Sweden . And once being a locavore did become a thing , the company got hyperlocal : 100 % of the wheat that goes into Absolut ’s luxuriousness brand name , Absolut Elyx , comes from the Råbelöf land , a 600 + twelvemonth - quondam class - lean winter straw farm near the distillery .
7. It’s got the whole farm-to-bottle situation down to a science
It takes exactly 2lbs of winter pale yellow to create a undivided bottle of Absolut vodka . As for Absolut Elyx , each square meter of the Råbelöf estate ’s rolling wheat berry field yields one kilogram of harvested wheat , which ultimately translate to one bottle of tasty , tasty luxury liquor .
8. Those bottles might look clear, but they’re actually green
Figuratively speaking . In keeping with Absolut ’s commitment to sustainable business drill , each bottle is made with 40 % recycled glass .
9. The bottle design was inspired by an antique medicine bottle
The squat , round , vitreous silica - unclouded glass bottle greatly resembles the sort you ’d regain in 18th - century Swedish apothecaries . lay in it in your medicine console , however , is not recommended .
10. The brand’s original name translated to “Absolutely Pure Vodka”
In 1879 , old L.O. Smith introduced the creation to " Absolut Rent Brannvin , " or “ utterly unadulterated Vodka , ” in homage to his prized liquor ’s immaculate constitution . Since that whole affair was kind of a mouthful , the name was quickly shortened to Absolut .
11. Absolut Elyx’s name is a double entendre
The party originally want to call this top - shelfer " Elixer , " but the legal powers that be come down on the name ’s potential aesculapian associations , so they shortened it to Elyx – which , conveniently , is a derivative of the Swedish word for " luxury . " How on - sword .
12. Remember those back-page Absolut ads? They were HUGE.
We ’re spill the beans 1,500 separate ads run over 25 years . That ’s the longest continuous ad campaign in the history of meter ( seriously ) . They were also revolutionary – Absolut was the very first caller to incorporate sound and movement into its print advertizing , like those angelical piddling blinking lights .
14. Absolut Citron was the world’s first commercially available clear flavored vodka
Thus securing its position as the best means to assort up a Lemon Drop shot .
15. Smaller-batch Absolut Elyx is distilled using 100% copper stills… and for good reason
Copper naturally pull in sulphur and other byproducts that can have a abrupt , fire core for the juicer . The copper interact with the alcoholic drink vapors throughout the entire process , give Elyx a distinctly smooth , refined character . Also , it looks super nerveless .
16. Absolut put out a Lenny Kravitz record back in the day
In a 2005 promotional push called Absolut Tracks , the vodka Godhead recorded and release a 10 - track album lie of a base song ( Kravitz ’s " Breathe " ) as well as nine subsequent covering from artists like Little Louie Vega and Jazzanova . Some bill ads even include phone jacks so you could plug in and take heed while waiting for the bus .
17. And recently partnered with deadmau5 to make a… video game?
The virtual - reality experience eat up drug user in a night out with Absolut and the uber - notable Canadian DJ . It ’s out July 27th , so you better get on that .
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