Absolut-ly Queer: The vodka brand revives Keith Haring’s 1986 masterpiece

The LGBTQ+ community has a sixth sense for a ‘moment’. We know when a brand is having one — and we know when it’s doing the ‘absolut’ most for its queer fandom. Whether it’s the glamorous Virgin Atlantic flight attendants manning the red carpet at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, or PEUGEOT Attitude Pride Awards Europe 2025 partners inviting Attitude to walk with them at Birmingham Pride, we clock it. We remember. We see who shows up – and who disappears after the glitter settles, or when the going gets tough internally.

Absolut has long earned its stripes. This summer, the Swedish spirits icon is bringing one of its boldest partnerships ever back to life, with the release of the stunning Absolut Haring Artist‑Edition bottle, based on a 1986 collaboration between the pair.

“This brand has always loved you, and will continue to love you” – Deb Dasgupta, Absolut’s VP of Global Marketing

“Absolut has always believed that art should be open, joyful, and for everyone,” Deb Dasgupta, Absolut’s VP of Global Marketing, tells Attitude at a London launch event for the bottle. And in 2025, that ethos hits even harder. When asked about Absolut’s LGTBQ+ consumers, Dasgupta smiles proudly: “This brand has always loved you, and will continue to love you. Simple as that”.

Back in 1986, Keith Haring – the openly gay, pop-art firestarter whose dancing figures lit up New York’s subways and shook up the establishment – became the second artist (after Andy Warhol) to collaborate with Absolut as part of its now-legendary Absolut Art Collection. The campaign saw Haring create four lithographs, now housed in Stockholm’s Spritmuseum, that turned a vodka ad into a living piece of queer cultural history.

Now, nearly four decades later, Haring’s unmistakable linework returns – not as a flat poster, but as a stunning collector bottle. Featuring a vibrant yellow backdrop, raised red debossed figures, and a blue Absolut logo that pops like a primary-colour power chord, this limited-edition drop transforms his original vision into something tactile, joyful, and undeniably queer. A cheeky airport purchase you won’t regret.

The bottle comes complete with Haring’s signature on the shrink sleeve and a hand-drawn reimagining of the brand’s founder, L.O. Smith, encircling the neck like a medallion of mischief. It’s playful. It’s political. It’s pop culture with a pour.

And to toast the launch, Absolut has mixed up a signature cocktail — the Absolut Haring Fizz, a zingy fusion of apple, orange, toasted sesame and ginger that’s as vibrant as the bottle’s design. It’s art you can sip, served with a slice of history and a splash of subversion. Yes please.

But this isn’t just a nostalgia trip for Gen X art collectors. It’s a reminder of what brand allyship can look like when it’s done right – not as a seasonal stunt, but as a sustained legacy. Absolut has consistently championed LGBTQ+ voices – from historic ads in queer publications to partnerships with grassroots Pride organisations long before it was considered beneficial optics.

So yes, we notice when brands pull up to the bumper for Pride. But we also remember the ones who stay. Absolut’s Haring revival isn’t just another brand with a marketing brief to insert itself into culture — we can spot you a mile off. It’s a celebration of queer artistry, community, and the radical idea that a vodka bottle can say something powerful. And if it looks beautiful doing it? Even better. Cheers Sweedies.

The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition is now available in global travel retail, and then in over 40 markets from October, for a limited time.