Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., redesigned its signature green bottle. As the company’s first bottle change since 1946, the “Star Bottle” is set to launch in select markets in New York state this month and nationally beginning in March 2013.

“The newly designed Star Bottle allows Heineken to take a huge step forward in the globalization of the brand, which started with our ‘Open Your World’ marketing campaign and our more recent draught program,” said Colin Westcott-Pitt, vice president of marketing for Heineken USA, in a statement. “The Heineken bottle has gone through a number of progressions but has always maintained its core iconography that has become a symbol of upscale, premium beer, and this philosophy will remain the same with the new Star Bottle design.”

The Star Bottle will be available in 12- and 22-ounce sizes and features a taller, thinner shape giving it a more modern and premium look, the company says. The bottle also features an embossed thumb groove that improves grip and encourages consumers to hold the bottle at a lower point, keeping the beer colder, it adds.