• by Teresa Buyikian , July 12, 2024

Absolut Vodka’s 1985 Andy Warhol bottle and the accompanying ad campaign were nothing short of iconic. Done in classic Warhol pop art style, both the spirit and “Absolut Warhol” campaign were full of bright colors and 1980s style.

Now 40 years later, following the rediscovery of a lost Warhol “Absolut Blue” painting, the brand has teamed up with the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to launch a new limited edition “Warhol” bottle.

According to the brand, when Warhol was originally commissioned to paint the Absolut bottle, a second “Absolut Warhol” painting had been rumored to exist. Then “Absolut blue” was rediscovered at auction in 2020. The original contract was also unearthed, where the brand learned that originally two paintings had indeed been commissioned.

Matt Foley, the company’s vice president of marketing, noted Absolut’s “longstanding commitment to the arts, dating back to 1985 when we first worked with Andy Warhol on the iconic ‘Absolut Warhol,’” and noting that “Warhol was a big supporter of Absolut’s mission.” The brand’s aim to “honor his legacy with this new bottle” is also “a way for consumers to have a piece of his art in their homes.”

The new collectable bottle uses Warhol’s classic layered screen printing technique, with “both internal and external design components, bringing Warhol’s rediscovered Absolut ‘blue’ painting from 1985 to life by the magnification of Absolut outlined within.” The shades of blue used for the bottle match those used in the painting, along with an image of Warhol himself next to his signature.

The limited-edition bottle will be available in U.S. markets this September. Marketing consists of online and social media executions, as well as a short online film depicting how the rediscovered painting inspired the new bottle.

A scannable QR code on the side of the bottle leads consumers to an “immersive, behind-the-scenes experience,” along with the recipe for a new cocktail, inspired by Warhol’s well-known love of cornflakes. The Absolut Warhol’s Milk Punch contains a blend of Absolut Vodka, cocoa butter, banana liqueur, lemon juice and cornflake-infused milk.

The painting is now part of the Absolut Art Collection and will be unveiled at Stockholm’s Spritmuseum this October as the centerpiece of a new exhibition called “Andy Warhol, Money On The Wall.” The original Absolut Warhol is part of the collection at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.