The US Open gets underway next Monday. If you are unable to attend the tournament in person this year, you can still enjoy the Honey Deuce signature cocktail from the comfort of your own home. The recipe for the drink is plastered (see what I did there?) all over the internet. I use the one from the Grey Goose website, which is probably as official as it gets.
The cocktail would simply be called Chambord Lemonade without the garnish. However, the melon evokes the image of tennis balls and brings the clever (but painful) tennis pun to the name. Before I tried the drink, I assumed that the garnish was strictly for decorative and linguistic purposes. However, the melon balls create an aromatic element essential to the full experience. Don’t skip it.
If you want to replicate the onsite experience to the greatest extent possible, you’re going to want to consider some accessories. First and foremost is the glassware. While a plain pint glass will work, it is slightly larger than the one used for the Honey Deuce at the tournament. For authenticity, you want the real thing.
The only official offsite way to acquire Honey Deuce glassware this year is by dropping $100 on the “US Open 2023 At-Home Suite” (<- not a sponsored link) from the official US Open Shop. That will get you two Honey Deuce glasses, a towel, a hat, a pair of sunglasses, a can of balls, and a tote bag. It isn’t a terrible value. In years past, the glasses in this kit are real glass rather than the plastic used onsite. The shop description is not clear on whether this year’s set is glass or plastic.
Another alternative is to check eBay, which has quite a few listings for the cups from prior tournament years. In fact, that is how I acquired two of my glasses. The other two were received courtesy of the “At-Home Suite” received as a Christmas gift.
You absolutely need a melon baller to make the Honey Deuce. While making perfectly rounded balls by hand is theoretically possible, who has the patience and energy for that?
Using cubed melon for the garnish may be tempting, but it just isn’t the same. In the era where people use silicon molds to make perfectly rounded ice balls for sipping top-shelf bourbon, handcrafting the melon balls is hardly excessive.
I currently use a double-ended OXO melon baller to make my Honey Deuces. If you order it today, Amazon will probably have it on your doorstep by Monday morning when the opening match walks on the court.
Additionally, you need a skewer for the garnish. While a simple bamboo one will work, I have some that look remarkably like the ones that Gray Goose uses for their official advertising. In fact, I have two sets of these because I couldn’t find my original ones during last year’s tournament.
In years past, I made a couple of videos demonstrating the proper technique for making melon balls. Both use my previous (more complex) baller that I have discarded in the interim. I found that the OXO model linked above produces consistently better results and is easier to clean. The first video demonstrates the proper technique for making the balls. The second provides some pointers on the proper grip.
The US Open is the best time of the year to watch tennis in the United States. The evening sessions run deep into the night from coast to coast. Sipping on a Honey Deuce while you watch makes the experience all the better.
Fiend At Court participates in the Amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on purchases made via this article’s links. Details on the disposition of proceeds are available on the “About Fiend at Court” page.
Honey Deuce
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ oz GREY GOOSE® Vodka
- 3 oz Fresh Lemonade
- ½ oz Chambord®
- 3 Honeydew Melon Balls
Method
- Fill a chilled highball glass with cubed ice and add GREY GOOSE® Vodka.
- Top with fresh lemonade and raspberry liqueur.
- Garnish with a skewer of 3 fresh or frozen honeydew melon balls.
