For thousands of years, oolong—or “black dragon” tea has inspired kings and cultures all over the world. Now, its dark tones and mysterious richness have been introduced to the wild, delicate character of Nordic elderflower and harmonized with a smooth, mellow vodka base in Pernod Ricard’s latest product—Absolut Wild Tea.

“We are very excited to launch this new spectacular flavor. Across the world, there is an explosive consumer interest in tea. But it is still an overlooked flavor in the bar. The sophistication about tea is very inspiring, and combined with elderflower it brings something new and exciting to any drink or cocktail,” says Laura Stephen, Global Marketing Director, Absolut Flavors and Extensions.

Absolut Wild Tea has a fresh aroma with hints of black tea, elderflower, red apples and citrus and a rich and fruity taste with tones of natural sweetness and smoothness. “We always want to develop exciting flavors that inspire consumers and bartenders to mix fantastic drinks. It was this creative urge that inspired us to introduce Absolut Citron in 1988, at a time when none had thought about flavored vodka. With Absolut Wild Tea we are now adding something new and eye-opening to the flavor landscape,” says Stephen.

The iconic Absolut bottle is instantly recognizable, this time with a black and golden decor, referring to the sophisticated black tea, and the fresh, fruity elderflower. The new product arrives in the US in January 2011 with a 1L. bottle is priced at 24.99 USD.

For the launch of the product, the brand enlisted Karen O, the frontwoman of indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to be featured in stills shot by a celebrated photo duo Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones (they also worked for a range of brands including Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake, Nike and BMW). Watch behind-the-scenes video from the photo session below (the prints will arrive later).