Move Over Honey Deuce: The Watermelon Slice Steals the Show

The US Open is famous for the Honey Deuce, but this year, a new cocktail has joined the lineup: the Watermelon Slice. According to the press release, it’s billed as a “refreshing blend of Moët & Chandon, watermelon juice, elderflower liqueur, and lime.” Additionally, in the press-release photos, it is garnished with a wedge of watermelon. It clocks in at a staggering $39 sticker price at the tournament. Naturally, for the sake of “research,” I decided to try my hand at recreating it at home.

My best guess reverse-engineered recipe is included at the bottom of this post. It was structured using verbiage from the official press release announcing the new drink, scaled to fit into a wine glass with ice. Given my excellent results when “researching” this recipe, I strongly suspect I’ve nailed it. Alternatively, if the bartenders at the US Open are using different proportions, they’re doing it wrong and should adopt my version instead.

The first evening I made the Watermelon Slice, I mashed fresh watermelon to produce the requisite juice. While that worked, it is also a pretty effective method to splatter sticky watermelon juice all over the place. A couple of nights later, while watching the US Open Mixed Doubles Exhibition Finals, I decided that more “research” was in order and discovered an easier trick. Watermelon juice naturally accumulates at the bottom of any container of cubed watermelon. The volume I had on hand was more than enough to make a couple of cocktails. That shortcut turned out to be much tidier and efficient than creating watermelon juice manually.

Flavor-wise, the Watermelon Slice surprised me. It tastes almost exactly like a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher, even though it contains no added sugar. It’s refreshing, vibrant, and far more sophisticated than its candy-like profile would suggest. The garnish, however, is another story. While the watermelon wedge perched on the rim looks striking, in practice, it primarily serves as a vehicle to dribble sticky juice everywhere. I recommend placing the wedge directly into the glass.

Lacking the commemorative barware for this cocktail, my version was served in a plain wine glass. Even so, it was every bit as enjoyable especially when you consider that it came together for far less than the official $39 price tag. In fact, I purchased all the ingredients needed for repeat rounds at home for less than the cost of a single pour onsite.

The verdict? I absolutely loved it. In fact, this brings us to a hot take: I think the Watermelon Slice is not only better than the Honey Deuce, it’s also less trouble to make. For me, that makes this cocktail the surprise breakout star of the 2025 US Open.

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Watermelon Slice Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 oz Moët & Chandon (or another brut Champagne/sparkling wine)
• 1.5 oz fresh watermelon juice (strained for smoothness)
• 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain is standard)
• 0.25–0.5 oz fresh lime juice (to taste)
• Garnish: a wedge of fresh watermelon on the rim (or inside the glass)

Method

1. Shake the watermelon juice, elderflower liqueur, and lime with ice.
2. Strain into a chilled wine glass.
3. Top with Champagne.
4. Garnish with the watermelon wedge.

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The cocktail “research” described in this post was conducted strictly in the interest of enhancing the fan experience for readers 21 years and older. Always “research” responsibly.