Why India getting its own vodka is a matter of Absolut pride

With Tina Turner chanting "Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu" in her new album, Children Beyond, and the most trending image of the celebrations in New York post the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriages being that of an India-Pakistani gay couple kissing each other holding their respective national flags, India is very much the flavour of the season.

So, when Absolut, the vodka that ranks with ABBA and Bjorn Borg as Sweden's most enduring icon, though it's now owned by the French alcobev behemoth, Pernod Ricard, rolled out the mango-and-pepper-flavoured Absolut India limited edition at Delhi Duty Free a couple of weeks ago, the timing couldn't have been more apt. Its launch precedes the global rollout of Absolut's new bottle design, the first time this is happening since 1979, scheduled for autumn-winter this year. The new bottle, lighter in weight than the classic to "reduce the environmental impact" of the 120-million-bottles-a-year vodka, will feature an updated two-line logo, a more clearly defined shape and a flattened bottom.

Absolut's history is linked with its bottle. Its unusual shape and the unmistakable calligraphy made bartenders in New York gravitate towards it when the famous marketer, Michel Roux, launched the brand in 1979 (it may be a Swedish vodka, but its first market was America, where it inaugurated it career as a modern-day icon). But it was the collaboration between Roux and Andy Warhol that turned the bottle into an everlasting news story that has got the brand millions of dollars worth of free publicity.

"I love the bottle. I want to do something with it," Warhol once said to Roux and went on to make more than 50 pieces of art with the bottle as the centrepiece. They inspired Absolut to launch its first "limited edition" bottle bearing the work of Andy Warhol. The artist wanted to create another edition, but Roux used Warhol's immortal line to nix the artist's ambition. "Andy," said the Frenchman, "Most people get 15 minutes of fame. You've got 20." Nonetheless, the famous Absolut bottle was born.

From Star Wars to Manhattan and Miami, and London (featuring the design of the co-creator of the hugely successful "virtual band" Gorillaz), pop culture, urban life and underground movements have inspired the Absolut limited edition bottle designs. Interestingly, years before Facebook inspired 26 million (and counting) people change their profile pictures using the colours of the rainbow flag, now the worldwide symbol of the LGBT community, Absolut joined hands with the creator of the emblem, Gilbert Baker, to launch Absolut Colors. Baker had created the rainbow flag in 1977; Absolut adopted it in 2008. Of course, it has been one of the earliest corporate supporters of the LGBT movement, providing advertising to underground publications such as The Advocate and After Dark as far back as 1980, when it wasn't hip for the corporate world to be supporting the community.

The bottle comes with a history and pedigree. In India, Absolut has collaborated with artists such as Anish Kapoor, Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher, and the author Vikram Seth, who for the first time exposed the calligrapher within him, but it hasn't dedicated a bottle to the country.

The work began last year when Absolut crowdsourced design ideas from over 2,700 artists who were a part of a nationwide talent hunt, won by Shayna Baig from Mumbai. By bringing the country's most iconic symbols on a palate, the artist expressed India's vibrancy, which is what Absolut would want to share with the world.

Each limited edition bottle comes with cocktails custom-created by Absolut mixologists. Here's one you can make at home:

Absolut India, 60ml; fresh mango juice, 90ml; fresh lime juice, 15ml; red pepper sauce, five drops; black salt, one pinch. Mix the ingredients in a tall glass, top up with ice, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper on top, and garnish with mint leaves and red chillies. Time to raise a toast to India!