Rules of the heat

The short version of how the contest works. The terms and conditions are the legal document; if the two ever differ, the terms win.

1. 01

   Order the serve

   Every bar in the contest has one signature ABSOLUT TABASCO™ cocktail. Order it.

2. 02

   Scan the coaster

   The QR code on the coaster opens that bar's voting page. It's the only way in, so you have to be there.

3. 03

   Rate it, answer one question

   Four scales: hotness, creativity, taste and looks. Then tell us: if you were an ABSOLUT TABASCO™ cocktail, what would you be called? That answer is your entry for the prize.

4. 04

   One vote per cocktail

   Ordering another one? Vote again. Every serve you're served counts, at as many bars as you like. Voting for cocktails you didn't have is not on.

5. 05

   18 to vote, 25 to win

   Everyone of 18 or over can vote, and every vote counts for the bar. Only voters of 25 or over on the day are in the running for the prize.

6. 06

   The prize and the jury

   A festival experience with Absolut for two, at a festival you pick from Absolut's list. A jury reads the answers and picks the most creative ones. Nothing is drawn.

7. 07

   Boost your entry

   Within 24 hours of voting, add a photo of your serve (+1) or share a story on Instagram (+2). Extras only settle ties between answers the jury likes equally.

8. 08

   Dates

   Voting runs from 13 October 2026 at 12:00 to 3 November 2026 at 23:59. Winners hear by e-mail by 14 December 2026.

9. 09

   Play fair

   Votes that don't look like real drinks are checked by a person. Bots, scripts and bulk votes are out, and so is anyone using them.

For bars and bartenders

• •One bartender and one signature serve per bar, reviewed by the campaign team before it goes live.
• •Your QR code is yours: show it everywhere, never copy, redirect or tamper with it.
• •Promote yourself all you like; buying, faking or automating votes gets a bar removed.
• •The three bars with the best final score go to the final. That score is votes per seat (50 points), the guests' average (25), the jury's creativity score (25) and up to 10 bonus points for activity on social media.
• •The live leaderboard is provisional until the team has validated the votes.