ABSOLUT’s history began in the 19th century with the extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit of one man, Lars Olsson Smith. In his twenties, he already controlled one-third of vodka sales in Sweden, a country where vodka production is a tradition. Absolut Vodka was first launched in New York in 1979. It soon became the talk of the town, in the US and eventually of the world. But the recipe behind the clean and natural taste of Absolut is actually older than 30 years. So is the 18th century medicine bottle found in an antique store in Stockholm, Sweden that gave inspiration to the iconic Absolut Vodka bottle.