What's Actually In The US Open's Honey Deuce Cocktail?

In England, Wimbledon is the famous tennis event that people flock to each year. As they watch the matches, they sip on the traditional Wimbledon drink, a Pimm's Cup. On the other side of the pond, it's not Wimbledon that's famous, but the US Open. At this sporting event, rather than nursing a Pimm's Cup, spectators enjoy the Honey Deuce cocktail.

The Honey Deuce is a cocktail made from one of America's top vodka brands, Grey Goose, paired with fresh lemonade and a dash of raspberry liqueur. Then, it's garnished with balls of honeydew melon for a sweet and fruity finish.

Honey Deuces are strong — at about 10% ABV — but also light and refreshing at the same time with a sweet summery flavor that makes it easy to forget you're drinking alcohol. Here's a little bit more detail on this tasty cocktail, including its interesting history and how to make one at home.

Despite becoming the iconic drink of the US Open, the Honey Deuce isn't exactly a historic cocktail. In fact, it was only invented in 2006. That year, Grey Goose was one of the sponsors for the US Open, and to help promote the brand, it hired a restauranteur named Nick Mautone to help create a cocktail for the tournament.

Mautone got to work, thinking of a drink that would not only be refreshing at a sporting event but would also be easy to make on a large scale. As he got his creative juices flowing, Mautone came up with a way to make the cocktail reminiscent of Tennis, the sport it was celebrating. He added honeydew melon balls to it, as they resembled the tennis balls being smashed across the court.

From there, he set to work experimenting with different syrups and flavor combinations until he came up with what's now known as the Honey Deuce. Today, as Mautone said in an interview with Vogue, "Every time the U.S. Open comes around, I just keep hearing about the drink." It's a beverage that's become almost as iconic as the US Open itself!

You don't have to go to the US Open to enjoy a Honey Deuce cocktail. You can also whip up one of these summer drinks to enjoy at home any time you like. Perhaps while watching the US Open on TV from the comfort of your couch.

To make a Honey Deuce cocktail at home, you'll need 1 ½ ounces of vodka (you can use any kind, but the traditional recipe calls for Grey Goose), a honeydew melon, 4 ounces of fresh lemonade, and ½ ounce of Chambord. Like the vodka, if you don't have Chambord, you can swap it out for any other raspberry liqueur.

Start by pouring your vodka into a highball glass. Fill the glass to the top with ice, and then pour in the lemonade until the glass is almost, but not quite, full. Add the raspberry liqueur, then, using a cookie or melon scooper, scoop out three balls of the honeydew melon and add them to the glass as a garnish. That's it! You've just made a duplicate of the US Open's classic Honey Deuce cocktail.