On the surface, the US Open stands are filled with avid tennis fans, hoping to see the best players in the world duke it out for a chance to lift the US Open Championship Trophy. But upon closer inspection, the now-iconic honey deuce cocktail may just be the real main draw. Like the Kentucky Derby’s mint juleps, the Masters’ pimento cheese sandwiches, and Wimbledon’s Pimm’s cup, this drink is synonymous with the tennis tournament, and we can see why. The boozy twist on a raspberry lemonade is the perfect refresher for a long day out in Queens, NY, watching tennis greats battle it out on the courts.
A honey deuce also costs $23 (!!!) in the stadium—though you do get to keep the cup—and made nearly 13M in revenue by the end of last year’s tournament. If you just can’t bring yourself to pay those prices, or, alternatively, if you just couldn’t snag tickets this year, we’ve got you. This breezy drink is super easy to make at home—here’s how:
What Is A Honey Deuce Cocktail?
Named after the tie score of 40-40 in tennis (“deuce”) and the honeydew melon balls that adorn the drink, the honey deuce has been the official drink of the U.S. Open since 2006, when Grey Goose commissioned a bartender named Nick Mautone to create a drink that was memorable and refreshing, but easy enough to serve to hundreds of fans. What he came up with was an easy mix of just 4 components—raspberry liqueur, lemonade, vodka, and honeydew melon.
How To Make A Honey Deuce Cocktail
INGREDIENTS
- Crushed Ice: While many cocktails call for larger pieces of ice, or rocks, here, crushed ice is the way to go. Crushed ice not only lends the drink its iconic look, but it also helps to keep this drink so cold and refreshing. Plus, who doesn’t love crushed ice?!
- Lemonade: Whatever classic lemonade you can get your hands on will work here. Store-bought works great, but as always, homemade lemonade is even better, and gives you better control of the amount of sweetness and tartness.
- Vodka: As the original recipe was commissioned by and uses Grey Goose, Grey Goose vodka is the most authentic option, but really, any vodka will work just fine.
- Raspberry Liqueur: Raspberry liqueur, like Chambord, gives the drink its iconic pink color and a bit of berry tartness.
- Honeydew: Not only is the topping of honeydew a nice, melon-y treat for when you’re finished drinking, but using a melon baller helps to make the little pieces of melon look just like tennis balls. So cute!
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
This is a simple, refreshing cocktail. Start off by filling a Collins glass with crushed ice. Once the glass is full of ice, add in the lemonade, vodka, and raspberry liqueur, and gently stir to combine.
Then, take a melon baller and scoop 3 balls of honeydew from your halved melon, and slide them onto a skewer. Top the drink with the skewered honeydew balls and enjoy alongside the action of the Open!
The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
What To Serve With A Honey Deuce Cocktail
If you’re throwing a US Open watch party, you’re going to need to serve up some snacks to go along with the cocktails. Give your melon baller double duty with our melon prosciutto skewers, or break out the bruschetta with our strawberry balsamic bruschetta or peach bruschetta. And remember, no matter whether you’re playing in the US Open or just watching from home, it’s important to take a few water breaks to keep you at your peak performance.
Honey Deuce Variations
If you are looking for a way to make this classic cocktail even more refreshing, we’ve got just the thing for you: the honey deuce slushie. For this variation, we’re changing up the ratios slightly to avoid losing any flavor when blending the ingredients with the ice.
Simply add the 3 oz. lemonade, 2 oz. vodka, and 1 oz. raspberry liqueur to a blender with 2 cups of ice, and blend until smooth and slushie-like, then top with skewered honeydew balls and enjoy!
