Play gets underway at the US Open on Monday. That means that it is time to stock up on all the ingredients and equipment necessary to make the homemade version of the event’s iconic “Honey Deuce” cocktail. (This post is for people who are 21+. Please drink responsibly.)
As evidenced by the social media posts from my tennis friends who make it up to the US Open on the regular, a picture of a hoisted Honey Deuce with the Arthur Ashe center court in the background is an essential part of the fan experience. To those people I have one simple message: Save your cups! (And, I hate you, but mostly just remember to save those cups.) A home crafted Honey Deuce tastes the same, but the experience is diminished when presented in a plain pint glass.
For reasons that defy my understanding, last year’s US Open was the first time it occurred to me that the cocktail could be made at home. The official recipe is literally all over the internet. That also led me to the discovery that I was terrible at making perfectly round melon ball shapes.
In the interim, through dedicated functional training, I have mastered the technique. The best way to produce a uniform round shape starts with pressing the baller straight down into the melon. The rolling motion starts only after the baller can’t be pushed down any further.
Several honeydew melons (and a few cantaloupes) were slaughtered during that process of discovery. In fact, I even made a YouTube video that (clumsily) illustrates the proper technique so that your melons can be spared any suffering.
Absent the honeydew melon ball garnish, the cocktail would simply be called Chambord Lemonade. The melon balls are intended to resemble tennis balls and bring the clever (but painful) dew/deuce tennis pun to the table.
Before experiencing the Honey Deuce for myself, I assumed that the melon balls were strictly for marketing purposes. However, I discovered that they contribute an aromatic pepper nuance to the bouquet. I suppose that cubed melon could work in a pinch, but we are living in an era where people freeze giant round ice cubes for bourbon and whisky consumption. Learning to make actual melon balls is not excessive by any stretch of the imagination.
Honey Deuce Cocktail
Ingredients
1 ¼ oz GREY GOOSE® Vodka
3 oz Fresh Lemonade
½ oz Chambord®
3 Honeydew Melon BallsFill 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 honeydew melon balls.
Official Honey Deuce Recipe, Grey Goose Web Page, downloaded 8/30/2021
 | Wilton Stainless Steel Small Cookie Scoop, Silver You can’t make melon balls without a melon baller. This is the one I use. |
 | Greylag Goose Martini Cocktail Picks Sure you can use a bamboo skewer, but somehow the drink is better with one that looks like the Grey Goose official version. |
There are two official ways to get Honey Deuce glassware. First (obviously) you can attend the US Open and keep the plastic cup that they are served in. The other way is to purchase a “At-Home Suite” (not a sponsored link) kit from the USTA US Open Store. I have a pair of actual glass (!) Honey Deuce Glasses that came via the Home Suite kit received as a Christmas gift. Unofficially, I also purchased a par of plastic glasses off eBay at a considerable discount.
Also, I made a TikTok the demonstrating the proper grip:
- Data Drinks: Honey Deuce, The U.S. Open’s Top-Selling Cocktail, Forbes, 8/23/2019.
- Official Honey Deuce Recipe, Grey Goose Web Page, viewed 8/30/2021.
- Classy Drinks, but No Glass, at the Open, Mary Pilon, New York Times, August 29, 2012
Such a fun post!!!
Since I am couch-bound recovering from knee surgery and can’t set foot on any court, let alone travel to the US Open, I am SOOOO making these to cheer myself up! Thank you for the fun post.