Move over, Carlos Alcaraz, there’s another star at the U.S. Open.
Since 2006, attendees at New York’s Grand Slam event have quenched their thirst with the tournament’s signature cocktail: The Honey Deuce.
The boozy beverage — whose name is play on “honeydew” and the tennis score “deuce” — features Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, raspberry liqueur and is garnished with three honeydew balls, scooped to look like mini tennis balls.
This year, the cocktail will cost $23, up from last year’s price tag of $22. It’s the sixth price hike the drink has seen since 2012, according to Morning Brew, when it cost a comparatively cheap $14.
The cocktail has been a major moneymaker for the tournament, with the 450,000 Deuces poured at the 2023 U.S. Open generating $9.9 million in sales. Indeed, the Honey Deuce will bring in more money than the combined $7.2 million awarded to the winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments.
“The mini honeydew melons that look like tennis balls capture the eye and therefore, the imagination,” Nick Mautone, the drink’s creator, told Vogue in 2021. “It’s visually a fun thing to drink at a tennis match.”
If you can’t make it to Flushing, Queens to try it, Grey Goose has shared the recipe so that you can make a Honey Deuce at home. You’ll just need the following:
- Ice
- 1 ¼ oz Vodka
- 3 oz Lemonade
- ½ oz Raspberry Liqueur
- 3 Honeydew Melon Balls, Skewered
To make a Honey Deuce pitcher instead, you’ll need 16 oz of vodka, 32 oz of lemonade and 8 oz of raspberry liqueur.
New Yorkers, meanwhile, will have a chance to try the cocktail without buying tickets for the Open. Grey Goose has a cocktail locator showing all the bars in New York City that are serving the Honey Deuce during the duration of the U.S. Open.
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