#COPPERMAKESITBETTER: ABSOLUT ELYX, THE WORLD’S FIRST TRUE LUXURY VODKA, LAUNCHES A NEW SERIES OF SUMMER SIPS AT LEADING HONG KONG BARS

Absolut Elyx, the world’s first vodka created specifically for sipping, is launching a new series of handcrafted cocktails from a selection of the city’s most prestigious bars. This exceptionally smooth vodka is now being artfully prepared for summer at Alibi, Ham & Sherry, Aberdeen Street Social, Mercato, and Studio. The Elyx experience is now also available for take-home from Watson’s Wine (HK458).

This silky-smooth vodka is a unique combination of traditional handcraft, copper distillation and cutting-edge design. The copper naturally catalyzes trace compounds in the spirit, purifying the vodka and adding a highly prized silky texture and taste. Crafted from single-estate wheat, from seed to bottle everything is done within a 15-mile radius of the distillery in Ahus, Sweden; which ensures quality control and perfection in every detail.

“The obsessive use of copper in all parts of the production is what makes Elyx unique. We use sacrificial copper packets in the distillation and a vintage copper still from 1921. It purifies Elyx to the point where there is no need to filter it through charcoal and that's what gives Elyx its unparalleled silky smooth mouthfeel. Copper is also the way our brand comes to life in a warm and playful way, embodying the global shift from luxury through bling to luxury with soul. So #CopperMakesItBetter” says Jonas Tåhlin, CEO Absolut Elyx.

When it comes to making great cocktails, it’s the same passion, expertise, craftsmanship and attention to detail that produces outstanding results every time. While the smooth nature of Absolut Elyx lends itself perfectly to sipping on the rock, or a dry martini, its subtle flavors and smoothness also play well in the finest cocktails. A selection of Hong Kong’s finest establishments now offer the refined luxury of Absolut Elyx in a series of summer cocktails served in the brand’s signature copper coupe cups. Alibi pairs their cocktail, A Golden Garden (HK$238) with a beetroot cured Atlantic Salmon, in this inspired take on food and cocktail pairing, the dish is refreshing while the cocktail is more forward; Ham & Sherry offers the Beverly Hills Copper (HK$120), a refreshing sipper for summer that matches Absolut Elyx with apple, celery, ginger, and lime; Aberdeen Street Social features the Elyx Gimlet, a beautifully simplistic cocktail composed of Absolut Elyx, lime juice and soda; California Tower favorite, Mercato, dazzles guests with the addition of Absolut Elyx cocktails to their newly launched brunch menu including, Ingrid (HK$118) a mix of Elyx, Campari, grapefruit, and orange bitters, Crimson Vesper (HK$118) which combines Elyx with Lillet Rouge and Hayman’s Sloe Gin, and Copper Face (HK$118) a mix of Elyx with Calvados and Apricot Brandy;  Live music haunt STUDIO, serves Elyx in their A.M. (HK$140) featuring Avion Espresso Tequila and freshly brewed espresso finished with dark chocolate flakes and garnished with a black cherry; Tivo delights with the Mellow (HK$95), a mix of Elyx, mango juice, passion fruit, and salt topped off with prosecco.

For those looking to take home a bit of copper this summer, Absolut Elyx is giving away bottles of Absolut Elyx and their signature copper coupe glasses on their Facebook page: facebook.com/AbsolutElyxHK

HONG KONG’S BEST BAR TEAM CROWNED AT THE FIRST ABSOLUT INVITE BARTENDING COMPETITION

CREATIVE ABSOLUT COCKTAILS NOW ON OFFER FROM ABSOLUT INVITE FINALISTS

Absolut is pleased to announce the winners of Hong Kong’s first ABSOLUT INVITE BARTENDING COMPETITION- TEAM EDITION: Bryson Rivera and Vikky Ma of Bar Q88 in the JW Marriott Hotel.

The Absolut Company has celebrated the outstanding creativity and knowledge amongst the world’s top bartenders since 25 years back, however the Absolut Invite competition steps away from the traditional formats of bar competitions, and instead presents bar teams with unique challenges that are set to test their teamwork skills at a high pace with a race to the very finish.

On 30 April, 8 of Hong Kong and Macau’s best bar teams competed at PLAY Club and around LKF in a series of challenges that tested their creativity, knowledge, speed and teamwork. Teams were included from: Bibo, Skye, Bar Q88, Flint Grill & Bar, PLAY Club, Club Cubic, The Macallan Whisky Bar & Lounge, and Heart Bar. After an exhilarating speed challenge where competitors needed to break record times while accurately concocting a variety of ten cocktails, the judges conferred and crowned Bar Q88 victorious, with the team from Flint Bar & Grill as a first runner-up. Both teams will travel to Stockholm Sweden, with the team from Bar Q88 vying to be crowned the world’s best bar team at the Absolut Invite Global Finals this June.

Rico Dynan said of Absolut Invite: “First and foremost, this competition is about bartending, not mixology. Mixology is a component of bartending, but bartending is a sum of more parts. Absolut Invite tests the many challenges that bartenders face behind the bar. The teams in Hong Kong showed incredible creativity and determination and I am excited to bring some of them to the global stage.”

 From June, in celebration of their achievements, a selection of creative cocktails are now on offer from Absolut Invite finalists. The winning cocktail, Andy “Absolut” Warhol Fizz (HK$130), a mix of Absolut with earl grey tea, bergamot, rhubarb and lemonade is now offered at Q88; the team from Flint Bar and Grill presents the Sakura Tera (HK$130), inspired by the Zen of Japanese gardens and featuring the flavors of yuzu, sakura, and cranberry; Bibo offers an ode to the Swedish word for cheers, with their cocktail, Skål (HK$130), comprised of Absolut Elyx, cucumber syrup, homemade rosemary and jalapeno syrup, cucumber bitters garnished with passionfruit tea jelly and rosemary; SKYE presents the Absolut Driver (HK$140) highlighting the flavors of fresh orange, apricot, and caramelized orange. 

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’Room Service’ An Absolut Art Bar by João Vasco Paiva Hong Kong Art Week 2017

Absolut is pleased to present a new collaboration with Portuguese-born, Hong Kong-based artist João Vasco Paiva on a site-specific Art Bar titled Room Service. Open daily from 17 March – 2 April 2017 at Potato Head during Hong Kong Art Week, Room Service is the artist’s vision of a timeless oasis where the contemporary world and nature coincide.

The installation is inspired by the opening scene of Terrence Malick’s 1998 film A Thin Red Line, in which Sargent Witt wanders around a desert island. This intimate moment between man and nature forms the basis for his Art Bar as Paiva melds it with his own fascination with the urban environment to redefine the convention of a retreat. Featuring a series of sculptures, film projections along with resting nets, Room Service places a contemporary spin on the concept of sanctuary.

Taking reference from Hindu vernacular architecture such as ancient temples and sacred sites as well as motifs of residential buildings from present-day life, Paiva coalesces the past with the present. Projection screens made of semi-transparent glass and fabric hang from the ceiling and permeate the space. These screens inundate spectators with videos of abandoned places in Hong Kong – from ruins of villages that have been recaptured by nature to daily commodities displayed in shop fronts.

Paiva further creates the ambience of retreat and the merging of artificiality with the natural by placing fans throughout the space. These emit a light breeze and move the projection screens, fabricating the motion of trees swaying in the wind. Room Service is a place where time stands still – transporting visitors from the mundane to the mystical, from daily life to the immersive realm of nature.

The Absolut Art Bar features a series of Artist Cocktails created by João Vasco Paiva in collaboration with a Potato Head mixologist, Kamil Foltanto, reflect the theme of retreat. Each cocktail (HK$128+ 10% servc.) is inspired by fictional and real castaways such as Private Witt, Fletcher Christian and Paddy Button. Using ingredients including Sichuan pepper infused maple syrup, peat bitters, basil and lemongrass, Paiva aims to encapsulate the states of mind of these castaways in his cocktails.

Room Service also includes a diverse programme of music which aims to highlight the contrast between day and night through acoustic and digital sets. The afternoon programme includes a line-up of live acoustic performances while the evening sees a variety of electronic acts and DJ sets.

“Room Service is a moment in time in which visitors will have the opportunity to escape their daily realities and be immersed in a new world. A workd that bared both idyllic imagery of deserted islands, and traces of urbanisation,” says João Vasco Paiva.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with João Vasco Paiva who has emerged as one of Hong Kong’s most exciting, young contemporary artists. We look forward to experiencing his vision for his Absolut Art Bar to create the ultimate retreat during Hong Kong’s Art Week,” says Saskia Neuman, Global Art Manager, Absolut.

HAVE A VERY SPIRITED HOLIDAY SEASON WITH: ABSOLUT VODKA, ABSOLUT ELYX, G.H. MUMM CHAMPAGNE, AND CHIVAS REGAL

Absolut Vodka, Absolut Elyx, G.H. Mumm Champagne, and Chivas Regal are providing the perfect gifts for partiers, luxury-seekers, risk-takers, and difference-makers

 This holiday season, new bottles from Absolut Vodka, Absolut Elyx, G.H. Mumm Champagne, and Chivas Regal are helping holiday-shoppers to cross names off their holiday shopping lists quicker than ever.

Absolut Vodka

Absolut introduces its latest limited edition bottle, Absolut Facet, a blue bottle featuring an asymmetrical design. The round edges of the Facet bottle have been cut into like a gem, creating a number of faces that catch the light in unique ways, symbolizing the many directions #AbsolutNights can take you. The aesthetic is reminiscent of spontaneous moments of nightlife magic, highlighting that the best nights happen out of the blue Absolut Facet is available with a free Absolut limited edition speaker at 7-11 (listed at HK$180)

Absolut Elyx

For the luxury-lovers, Absolut Elyx, bathed in its rustically elegant copper bottle, is a gift that is sure to please. Absolut Elyx is the world’s first vodka created specifically for sipping, and is the result of manual processes, authentic craftsmanship, and human supervision through every detail of production. This silky-smooth vodka is a unique combination of traditional handcraft, copper distillation and cutting-edge design. The copper naturally catalyzes trace compounds in the spirit, purifying the vodka and adding a highly prized silky texture and taste. Crafted from single-estate wheat, from seed to bottle everything is done within a 15-mile radius of the distillery in Ahus, Sweden; this ensures quality control and perfection in every detail. Absolut Elyx is available  from Watson’s Wine (listed at HK$458)

G.H. MUMM Champagne

In the spirit of celebration that has become its hallmark, G.H. Mumm Champagne has commissioned multi-award-winning designer Ross Lovegrove to design their most revolutionary bottle yet, Mumm Grand Cordon. Unveiled in Hong Kong in conjunction with the FIA Formula E Championship, the Mumm Grand Cordon bottle has no front label – instead, the G.H. Mumm signature and eagle emblem are printed in gold directly on the glass. The bottle is a reinterpretation of the famous Cordon Rouge red sash, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year. On Mumm Grand Cordon, the red sash is transformed into a genuine red ribbon, which is actually indented in the glass. The revolutionary new bottle is available at Watson’s Wine and Cuvees.com (listed at HK$438)

 Chivas Regal

Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury Scotch whisky, has partnered with premium audio producers LSTN Sound Co., to craft unique whisky and music accessories to celebrate their shared passion for craftsmanship, style and generosity. The initiative – Generosity: Amplified – features a range of activity aimed to raise funds for Starkey Hearing Foundation, including an innovative limited edition Chivas 12 Year Old gift tin. The creative partnershiip between Chivas and LSTN Sound Co. has seen the creation of a limited-edition gift tin to house premium Scotch whisky Chivas 12 Year Old. Inspired by sound, and featuring images of deconstructed headphones the gift tin has been designed to create disruptive on-shelf presence with a new square-to-round shape.  Both Chivas and LSTN Sound Co. recognise the growing desire amongst modern gentlemen to seek authenticity and depth in both their lifestyle choices and purchase decisions, so a percentage of the profit from limited edition gift tin will be donated to Starkey Hearing Foundation - a pioneering charity that has provided more than 1.8 million hearing aids and care to people in need in the last 30 years. It is estimated that the partnership will give around 15,000 people the gift of hearing. The limited edition LISTN gift tin will be available at Wellcome and Marketplace by Jason’s (listed at HK$428)

James Ostrer: ‘Guru Jimmy's Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’ Art Central & ZUMA 2016, Hong Kong

Absolut is pleased to present a new collaboration with the prominent Guru Jimmy – artist James Ostrer’s spiritual guide – on two site-specific Art Bars in Hong Kong. Both titled ‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’, the Art Bars will premiere at Art Central and ZUMA Hong Kong in March 2016.

Art Central, Hong Kong’s newest contemporary art fair on Hong Kong’s Central Harbour front, will host the Art Bar daily from 21-26 March. The ZUMA edition of the Art Bar will be open from 12pm daily on 21-28 March, making ZUMA the perfect place to relax after visiting the fair.

Following his celebrated appearance at the 2015 Venice Biennale, Guru Jimmy has been given carte blanche to fully conceptualise and create his Art Bar, from drinks to décor, and entertainment to ambience. Inspired by his own outlook that the future is not a given, and that all people should have the right to create their own, Guru Jimmy has imagined an Art Bar that gives way to a type of spiritual transcendence that he feels should be available to the masses. Art Central’s installation clearly demonstrates this, and consists of a technicolour dream-state complete with beanbag chairs, ‘material wealth’ rugs, and other spiritual endeavours, making it the ideal location for replenishment, relaxation and reflection. 

Guru Jimmy has collaborated with some of Hong Kong’s top mixologists from both Maximal Concepts and ZUMA, resulting in seven brightly coloured cocktails that each resemble a colour of the rainbow. The Art Bar at Art Central will serve the blue, violet and yellow coloured cocktails. It’s All About Me is a violet hued cocktail comprised of violet blossom liqueur, lemon, and ginger, which reflects imagination and spirituality, whilst the blue concoction, Absolut Clarity, using blended orange, lime, and a homemade citrus cordial, symbolises the qualities of creativity and intelligence. The three vibrant cocktails will be available through April at Limewood.

ZUMA represents the energy of the colour red with, the Happy Inner Selfie, a cocktail infused with pomegranate, cinnamon and yuzu, whilst the balance and harmony of the colour green is characterised in, Liquid Assets, a kiwi and pandan-based cocktail. The four cocktails on offer at ZUMA are sweetened only by the fruits’ natural sugars, paying tribute to Ostrer’s battle with sugar addiction as represented in his body of work Wotsit All About. ZUMA, recently named one of Asia’s Top 50 Bars, also promises to enlighten visitors through the various meanings of colour with an extensive food-pairing menu featuring colourful maki, sushi, and interpretative fruit platters. The bar and lounge will feature a live DJ from 7pm throughout the week and a special Art Session on Saturday, 26 March from 2.30pm.

Guru Jimmy will journey between the two venues, offering visitors a glimpse into his colourful world as well as presenting opportunities for ‘happy inner selfies’ for those looking to attain the ultimate happiness. To enhance his vibe of chilled tranquillity, Guru Jimmy will also travel between venues with his specially curated playlist of electro, funk and pop music.

The artist’s Art Bars are reminiscent of Absolut’s newest limited edition bottle design, Absolut Mix, which builds on the six colours of pride in a unique way, allowing the colours to mix together when the bottle is moved while still maintaining their individuality. The new bottle reflects Absolut and Guru Jimmy’s shared beliefs in an inclusive world that allows people to connect without labels. Absolut Mix will be available in Hong Kong this summer.

Additionally, Art Central hosts Ostrer’s latest body of work, Ego Systems, an amalgamation of celebrity icons who seduce their onlookers through traditional and social media with their promises of success, beauty and glamour. ZUMA concurrently hosts Ostrer's critically acclaimed body of work Wotsit All About, a photo series referencing icons of contemporary sugar worship, the artist’s imagined result of a corrupted globalisation and increasingly dangerous methods of food production.

‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’ is the latest in a series of collaborations between Absolut and leading contemporary artists to create Art Bar installations – ambitious sculptural environments which double as fully operational pop-up nightspots. This installation follows critically-acclaimed installations by SANGREE at Material Art Fair in Mexico City (2016); John Kørner at Chart Art Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark; Yazan Khalili at Art Dubai (2015); and Nadim Abbas at Art Basel (2014) in Hong Kong.

“It is Guru Jimmy’s greatest delight to help, support and empower people to mix up the emotions of absolute fun, friendship, music and art,” said James Ostrer.

“We are excited to be working with both Guru Jimmy and James Ostrer on ‘Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Ashram of Spirituality’. The Art Bars will be unique spaces where people can come together and relax, and we look forward to bringing both Art Bars to life in Hong Kong,” says Saskia Neuman, Global Art Manager, Absolut.

Cocktails

All of the below cocktails are crafted with Absolut Vodka:

RED: Guru Jimmy’s Happy Inner Selfie

Pomegranate, cinnamon, and yuzu

ORANGE: Guru Jimmy’s Happy Ending

Kumquat

YELLOW: Guru Jimmy’s Inevitable Joy

Pineapple, passion fruit, spice syrup, black pepper, mint

GREEN: Guru Jimmy’s Liquid Asset

Kiwi, pandan leaf

BLUE Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Clarity

Blended orange & peel liquer, lime, homemade citrus cordial

INDIGO: Guru Jimmy’s Absolut Spirituality

Infused flower, blueberry, cardamom

VIOLET: Guru Jimmy’s It’s All About Me

Violet blossom liqueur, lemon, ginger beer

ABSOLUT VODKA TURNS CLOCKENFLAP 2015 ELECTRIK

ABSOLUT ELECTRIK REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HONG KONG AT THE CLOCKENFLAP MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL

Absolut Vodka is premiering their newest limited edition bottle, Absolut Electrik, at Hong Kong’s premier outdoor music and arts festival. The Absolut Electrik Bar will amplify the Clockenflap experience with a multi-sensory offering of flavours, colours, lights, and movement. In the lead up to the legendary three-day event, Absolut Vodka will offer festivalgoers various opportunities to gain complimentary access to Clockenflap.

The Absolut Electrik twin bottles feature two cutting edge hues, Electrik blue and silver that combine to create an aesthetic reminiscent of flashing lights and pumping beats. Absolut Electrik evokes feelings of energy with the potential to make any night an electrical one. The Clockenflap festival bursts with passion and ingenuity; generating the ideal backdrop for Absolut Electrik’s mission to infuse creativity and transform the night.

The Absolut Electrik Bar, conveniently situated across from Clockenflap’s Electric Stage, will feature a luminescent lounging area to sip Absolut Electrik cocktails that have been hand-crafted in celebration of Clockenflap. Cocktails will include the Absolut Electrik Blue Mule, a take on the traditional Moscow Mule. The Absolut Electrik Bar will be an innovative photo-worthy backdrop guaranteed to garner likes from all.

Absolut Vodka will deliver plentiful opportunities to score complimentary Clockenflap tickets. The first chance will be the Electrik Hong Kong Nights competition. Between 26 October and 20 November, hopeful festivalgoers can purchase any bottle of Absolut Vodka to stage a creative photo featuring an iconic site that illustrates an ‘Electrik’ night in Hong Kong. Photog aspirants can then message their shot to Absolut Vodka HK’s facebook or post to Instagram with #ElectrikNight and #AbsolutHK. The five most creative photos will be chosen and their submitters and a guest will head to Clockenflap for a truly Electrik night.

Absolut Vodka will also offer Clockenflap devotees a first sip of new Absolut Electrik cocktails. Red Bar at IFC, and various other nightspots, will offer an innovative secret menu, designed to build anticipation and boast the flavours of the festival.