Meet the Honey Deuce Cocktail: The Mint Julep of Tennis
We have the official recipe.
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
I have a confession. I am far more interested in the food and drinks that surround sporting events than I am in the sporting events themselves. I equate baseball with Little League hot dog stands and football with Buffalo wings and beer, or—during the playoffs and Super Bowl—Prosecco (we like to celebrate!).
While sports are most often associated with beer, there’s a world of other drinks to enjoy while rooting for your favorites. Perhaps the most famous among them is the Mint Julep, which is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby and a refreshing cocktail made with mint leaves, mint simple syrup, and bourbon. But did you know the U.S. Open has its own official drink, too?
It’s a fan favorite and top seller year after year at the tennis tournament, which kicked off its 2024 run this week in New York. But lucky for you, you don't have to attend the U.S. Open to try it.
That's because Grey Goose (one of the tournament sponsors) has released the official recipe for the cocktail. Now, you can use your home bartending skills to enjoy it at home while you’re watching from the comfort of your couch—or skipping the sports entirely. Behold, the Honey Deuce.
What Is the Honey Deuce?
The Honey Deuce is the U.S. Open’s official cocktail, and it all started over 15 years ago. In 2006, Grey Goose commissioned cookbook author and mixologist Nick Mautone to create a cocktail for the tournament. Taking inspiration from the bright green tennis balls, Mautone chose balls of honeydew melon as the garnish, then worked to develop a fruity cocktail to match.
It features vodka, Chambord (which is a raspberry liqueur), and lemonade, served with the signature garnish of honeydew melon balls. It bears a resemblance to the official cocktail of another tennis tournament: Wimbledon's Pimm's Cup, which features gin and lemonade.
Its name, according to Grey Goose, is a mashup of a tennis term and honeydew melon—Honey for honeydew and Deuce for the tennis term "deuce," which refers to a tied score in tennis of 40-40.
The drink is now considered iconic and is synonymous with the U.S. Open. Even the acrylic tumblers that the drinks come in have become collectible—the commemorative design of the cup changes each year to reflect the winners of every Open, much like the Mint Julep cups at Churchhill Downs. Unsurprisingly, they cost a pretty penny: One Honey Deuce and its special cup will set you back a whopping $23. Or, you can follow the official recipe and make it at home for way less. Here's how.
The Official U.S. Open Honey Deuce Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ¼ ounces vodka (like Grey Goose)
3 oz fresh lemonade
½ ounce raspberry liqueur (like Chambord)
3 honeydew melon balls
Instructions:
Fill a chilled highball glass with ice cubes. Add the vodka, top with the lemonade and Chambord, and stir.
Skewer the melon balls and add as a garnish.
Recipe courtesy of Grey Goose.
Variations on the Honey Deuce Cocktail
Want to chill out even more? Build the cocktail, including the ice, in a glass, setting aside the melon balls. Dump the contents of the glass into a blender, blend it until smooth, then add it back to the glass and garnish with honeydew balls. That's called a Frozen Honey Deuce.
Making Honey Deuces for a crowd? You can also batch the cocktail to make enough for nine people at once. Follow the same steps but mix it in a large pitcher using the following measurements: 16 ounces vodka, 32 ounces fresh lemonade, 8 ounces raspberry liqueur.
The U.S. Open runs through September 14, but this cocktail is so refreshing, I think I'll be enjoying it through the rest of this summer's heat and well into fall—so long as the temperatures don’t plunge too much further.
Read the original article on All Recipes.
