Heinz Absolut vodka pasta sauce

Source: Heinz

The ‘rich and creamy’ sauce will roll into Waitrose from mid-April (rsp: £2.50/350g)

Heinz has teamed up with Absolut to launch a limited-edition tomato vodka pasta sauce.

The “rich and creamy” tomato, basil and cheese sauce with vodka will roll into Waitrose from mid-April (rsp: £2.50/350g).

A limited number of jars are also available for order from Heinz’s DTC website.

The innovation – which was developed by Heinz’s New Ventures division – was inspired by Gigi Hadid’s spicy vodka pasta recipe, which went viral after the supermodel posted it to Instagram and TikTok in 2020.

Heinz said it was “predictably” late to the trend, having only launched its core range of pasta sauces in 2022.

The collaboration with Absolut was “a match made in pasta heaven”, said Heinz.

“During the cooking process, most of the alcohol from the vodka is reduced, boosting the volatile flavour compounds already present in the tomatoes and creating a rich texture that perfectly balances the creamy, cheese notes with the rich tomato and fragrant basil,” it added.

Heinz New Ventures director Caio Fontenele said: “While it may have taken over 150 years of tomato expertise to launch our first Heinz pasta sauce, we’re determined to continue innovating and delighting consumers with delicious flavours, at the speed of social media trends.

“We are thrilled with the partnership between these two centenary brands, bringing the first tomato vodka pasta sauce to major UK supermarkets.”

Absolut fans could now enjoy the product “in an entirely new and innovative way”, added Pernod Ricard UK marketing director Leanne Banks.