(Photo: Heinz)
Little over a year after their unexpected collaboration broke the Internet, Heinz and Absolut Vodka are teaming back up to reintroduce their viral tomato sauce to consumers across the pond.
The two superbrands debuted the first iteration of Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce back in 2023. Hot off a streak of inventive, occasionally eyebrow-raising releases like "Hanch," "Tarchup" and "Wasabioli," Heinz was evidently eager to keep the mashup momentum rolling. Taking inspiration from Gigi Hadid's pasta alla vodka recipe, which had recently taken TikTok by storm, a collaborative sauce with Absolut seemed like a natural choice.
The product was an immediate sensation. Social media promo racked up over 500 million impressions while jars sold out within a matter of four days. As tantalizing images continue to make the rounds online, a comeback was inevitable.
On Wednesday, Heinz and Absolut announced the sauce's return to Waitrose supermarkets in the UK. Available online at £2.50 (US $3.20) per jar, it's expected to roll out through other retailers this autumn. No word yet on whether it can be expected in international markets.
“As the top-selling Heinz product and number-one-selling pasta sauce at the time of launch, we knew pasta lovers were as obsessed with it as we were,” Caio Fontenele, head of growth at Kraft Heinz told The Spirits Business. "After receiving countless messages from fans all over the world asking how they could get their hands on a jar, we knew we couldn’t ignore it. Now, everybody can have the ultimate pasta alla vodka experience with the iconic combination of Heinz’s high-quality tomatoes and Absolut’s premium vodka.”
Despite Heinz's over 150 years of expertise in ketchup, it's worth noting that this is the company's first-ever tomato sauce. And no, in case you're wondering, this isn't a Bloody Mary mixed with tomato puree; vodka reportedly makes up less than 3% of the total volume. The addition of alcohol primarily serves to maintain a cohesive texture between the tomato base and cream while adding a light aromatic touch.
[newsletter-promo]
