If you’ve been on US Open TikTok this week, you’ve probably become familiar with the Honey Deuce.
Grey Goose, a longtime sponsor of the US Open, has been serving the Honey Deuce cocktail at the tournament since 2007.
It seems like everyone, from TikTok creators to tennis champ Serena Williams, has been trying the beverage at the US Open this year.
Nick Mautone, a mixologist and author, created the drink in 2006 as a Grey Goose brand ambassador. He told Business Insider he got the inspiration for the beverage after stopping at a farm stand in Hampton Bays, New York, to pick up ingredients for a summer dessert salad.
“The ‘salad’ included honeydew melon balls, blackberries, rosemary-citrus syrup, and a splash of vodka,” Mautone said, adding that it was “topped with sorbet.”
As he prepared the salad, Mautone said that “lightning struck” when he realized the melon balls resembled tennis balls.
“I knew that was the garnish that had to go into the drink,” he said.
The Honey Deuce was born, and it’s become a fan-favorite of the US Open since its inception. In 2023, the drink generated around $9.9 million in sales.
Today, the official recipe consists of Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade, raspberry liqueur, and, of course, the honeydew melon garnish.
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But Mautone told BI the original recipe was a little more complex, featuring rosemary citrus, lemon juice instead of lemonade, seltzer, and blackberry cordial. It was simplified to make serving the drink in large quantities easier.
“The honeydew melon balls were the nonnegotiable,” Mautone said.
Now, the drink is almost as iconic as the US Open itself, with many bars making copycat versions, which Mautone said he finds “quite flattering.”
He also said he likes to put a twist on the drink when he makes it at home.
“My personal favorite is to make the Honey Deuce in a large glass and top it with your favorite style of sparkling wine,” Mautone said. “It becomes a bit drier and fizzy yet still refreshing and thirst quenching.”
For those attending the 2024 US Open, Honey Deuce cocktails, sold in Grey Goose collector cups, retail for $23. According to Morning Brew, the drink was $14 in 2012, so its price has increased exponentially over the past decade.
Considering how popular posts about the Honey Deuce have become on social media this year, it’s easy to imagine people will be making their own versions of the beverage at home in the coming weeks.
