Featured image for Heinz and Absolut Collab For Tomato Vodka Sauce

Heinz and Absolut Collab For Tomato Vodka Sauce

by Rudy Sanchez on 03/22/2023 | 2 Minute Read

Typically, vodka has little to no flavor, but that hasn’t stopped brands from stuffing the spirit with unorthodox and unexpected flavors, like Arby’s curly fries or Old Bay seasoning. Velvetta went so far as to create a cheesy martini cocktail.

Thankfully, when Absolut and Heinz teamed for a brand collaboration, the result wasn’t a spaghetti-bolognese-flavored vodka. Instead, the duo has announced a tomato vodka sauce made with Absolut vodka, cream, basil, and gran padano cheese. Heinz and Absolut’s pasta sauce took inspiration from Gigi Hadid’s viral recipe from 2020, but it’s unclear why it took them years to join the internet craze.

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Like many recipes, the origins of vodka pasta sauce are unclear. There are at least four, two from NYC and two from the old country. In any case, the addition of vodka results in a creamier, more aromatic sauce.

Absolut and Heinz’s sauce comes in a glass jar with a familiar Heinz keystone label featuring the vodka brand’s wordmark. The use of Absolut’s blue continues onto the tamper sticker and top of the metal lid. Heinz and Absolut also acknowledge they are years late to the vodka sauce virality on the label with "Ridiculously Late. Absolut(ely) Good.”

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Taking it one step further, the collaboration also recalls the memorable Absolut print ads of old, with a campaign from Wunderman Thompson Spain. “This a very exciting launch for us, as we’ve had the opportunity to pay homage to one of the most recognizable campaigns of all time—the Absolut adverts from the early 1980s. In fact, the bestselling Absolut Book, which delves into the thinking and strategy behind the campaign, has provided creative inspiration throughout my professional career, long before we started working on this project,” said Paco Badia, executive creative director for Wunderman Thompson Spain, in a press release. 

Heinz X Absolut Vodka Pasta Sauce is available starting next month and for a limited time in the UK at Waitrose and is available for pre-order now at HeinzToHome.co.uk.


Images courtesy of Heinz.