ABSOLUT Vodka Vancouver Bottle

This afternoon I was at the official announcement that Vancouver has the first-ever Canadian City-inspired bottle of ABSOLUT vodka.

The Vancouver bottle was designed by BC artist Douglas Fraser who currently resides in Victoria. His bottle art features a float plane soaring over the city and ocean as the mountains cast a blue backdrop — all natural design choices for our fair City. “I also wanted to push it and see if I could create something reflective of something else,” Fraser noted as he said he also wanted to capture the whole work/play atmosphere of Vancouver. He also mentioned that the “V” design reminds him of the original Vancouver Millionaires hockey sweater.

120,000 of these limited edition bottles (expected to sell out) are currently in stores and will be on shelves until at least December. Further to the specialized local bottle, $1 from the sale of each will go to a new Vancouver public art project. Over the last few months ABSOLUT took submissions for the projects and the finalists are now featured on their website. The top 5 proposals are listed for public online vote and once the campaign has ended, $120,000 will be put towards that art project.

Finalists are:

Kelly Kretz, Senior Brand Manager for ABSOLUT vodka added that they can’t wait to “bring BC’s favourite submissions to life” through this initiative. “In addition to being globally recognized as an exciting, cosmopolitan and naturally stunning Canadian city, Vancouver is a hotbed of cultural and creative talent, which ABSOLUT is very proud to support.”

You can also try out the ABSOLUT Vancouver Maple Whitecap Martini designed by the bartender at Coast. The Whitecap consists of: ABSOLUT Vodka, Maple Syrup (roasted with vanilla, cinnamon and cloves), egg white, lime juice, and is topped with some nutmeg powder.

You have until March 2010 to get your votes in on the art projects and the winner will be announced shortly after.