I made a martini using Absolut vodka, a Swedish brand widely available around the world. It felt like a particularly good choice for the summer solstice.

A vodka martini made with Absolut is cold, smooth, Swedish and reliable (Greta Garbo anyone?) with just a subtle, almost whimsical hint of wheat, like a breeze over your taste buds.

I really like the minimalist branding of the product. Apparently the design was based on medicine bottles. Such simplicity definitely stood out during the launch of the vodka amid the brash 1970s when bigger and brighter was considered better. Evidently the more muted – but self assured – concept of the brand has stood the test of time.

The imagery is simple but I backlit it in this photo with some warm light to compliment the blue with some Swedish yellow. Just look at that playful cursive under the bold condensed font.

As per standard martini instructions, I put the bottle in the freezer for six hours before I intended to drink. I took it out when it was time to pour, but had to take another photo first.

I love how nice the fonts look when the glass frosts up. This vodka is meant to be frozen. If you happen to live in northern climates in winter, just leave the bottle outside when the temperature is below freezing. It’s the proper way to do it without using up your valuable freezer space (giving you room for things like frozen meatballs from Ikea).

Before the martini, I wanted to pour a small measure neat so I could get an unadulterated taste of the vodka.

It’s clean and pure, undoubtedly from its Swedish water, and I would also describe it as soft – perhaps an understated word, but I don’t want the drink’s softness to be underestimated. It isn’t fiery, like some vodkas definitely can be. I would also say that the winter wheat it is made with definitely washes through, providing what otherwise feels like a very modern drink with a gentle undertone of tradition and rural quality.

Absolut was launched in New York City in the 1970s, with Andy Warhol, a fan of simple but striking branding, being an early patron. But it’s not all about penthouse parties in Stockholm and Manhattan. Absolut very much brings the taste of the landet or Swedish countryside to the metropolitan smörgåsbord. It is a global, enduring and high quality product but with an identity firmly rooted in Swedish rural values.

In martini form, this is an excellent vodka to pair with a small measure of a good quality vermouth, but I would err towards the dryer side of the vermouth, so you don’t lose the wheaty notes of the vodka. I come back to the word “soft” for this drink. It’s a gentle vodka, not harsh, not astringent. I wouldn’t use it for Lemon Drop Martini for example, because you would eviscerate the vodka’s undertones. I would use something less subtle for a Parmesan martini too.

Indeed, I would keep the serving of Absolut as simple as possible. I would say that the martini was preferable to the neat drink, but both are beyond pleasant.

After that, I think the most interesting thing you could do with the drink is pairing it with food and nibbles. This is where you could get really creative, especially if you look to compliment the subtle flavour of the winter wheat.

Probably the most obvious yet reliable accompaniment would be seafood. Perhaps you could serve miniature blini or a range of fish and crustacea, especially simple, smoked, cured or raw, perhaps served with croustades, Scottish oatcakes or Nordic bread.

Obviously it would be perfect with crayfish at a midsommar celebration.

Either way, enjoy this smooth, high quality, but widely available vodka, and raise a glass to the visionaries who created the brand. It isn’t niche or new; it’s reliable, good quality and well-established for good reason.

So, skål to Sweden, for a geography that has produced the agricultural bounty involved in this drink, and a culture that fosters value, attention to detail and the pursuit of good quality.

Skål to Andy Warhol for backing this brand in the day. A visionary and avant-garde creative, his pop art remains widely shared, cited and emulated. I can attest that his museum in Pittsburgh (stumbling distance from the wonderful Pirates’ baseball stadium) is well worth the visit!

And an honourable skål to the timeless Swedish martini muse Greta Garbo – she looks like she could use another drink in this photo. I’d use any excuse to raise a glass to this Hollywood royalty.

Tack Sverige!