The Honey Deuce has left the stadium.
For years, the cocktail — made with Grey Goose vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur, and garnished with honeydew melon balls — has been a hugely popular fixture at the US Open. Last year, 450,000 of the $22 drinks were sold at the tournament, which kicks off Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
But, increasingly, the drink has taken on a life of its own. There’s now Honey Deuce merch and home cocktail pods, and this year a record number of bars across the city — more than 140 — are serving both official and unofficial iterations.
“The love for the Honey Deuce is growing each year,” said Aleco Azqueta, Vice President of Marketing for Grey Goose. The French vodka brand sponsors the US Open and invented the cocktail nearly two decades ago.
Many bars are offering the drink well before the tournament starts. Fulton Hall in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, put theirs on the menu this past Monday and had fans drinking it up that day.
At Haven rooftop in Midtown, the refreshment was added to the menu on Thursday, while last year they didn’t start serving it until the tournament was underway.
With New Yorkers bummed about the Olympics being over, “We thought there was no better year than this one to celebrate the US Open early,” said General Manager Elda DeVilla.
Even those who know nothing about top seeds and double faults are drinking up.
Earlier this week, Chloe Kinnison, a 28-year-old Manhattanite who works for an executive search firm, sipped a Honey Deuce at Dante in the West Village.
“I’m obsessed, it’s literally so cute,” said Kinnison, who is not a tennis fan and has never been to the US Open. “I love any drink that comes with a little snack on it,” she gushed, nibbling on a melon ball.
The Honey Deuce soared past the baseline in 2020 when spectators were barred from the tournament grounds due to the pandemic. A few bars and restaurants in NYC and the Hamptons put the drink on their menus. In 2022, Grey Goose began offering a canned version for home use. But, this year, it’s all reached a tipping point.
For the first time, the USTA is selling Honey Deuce T-shirts and hats, and they’ve both been winners.
“To date the T-shirt is our number one selling item, and the hat is our number two selling item,” a USTA spokesperson told The Post.
David Aaron, owner of SodaDesignCo, a T-shirt company in Manhattan, unveiled his first ever Honey Deuce T-shirt and stickers this week.
He teased the design — a cheery illustration that doesn’t actually say Honey Deuce, so as not to ruffle Grey Goose’s feathers — on Instagram earlier this month. The enthusiasm for it has surprised him.
“My followers are not really tennis fans,” he said. “I knew this was a pretty drink that people liked to post on Instagram, but it’s a thrill to see how much people like it.”
Bartesian, which makes a cocktail pod machine that’s akin to a boozy Nespresso maker, has also received enthusiastic support for its new Honey Deuce pods, which allow fans to make the drink at home with just the touch of a button.
Those who want to enjoy the cocktail out and about can use the “Honey Deuce locator” on the Grey Goose website to find establishments serving the tipple, though it only includes bars and restaurants doing so in official collaboration with the liquor giant.
Others are offering unseeded takes, sometimes with a bit of top spin. Dante swaps pineapple and honey for the raspberry liqueur to set its version apart. Jac’s on Bond uses yuzu liqueur.
At a rooftop party celebrating women in tennis this past Tuesday at the William Vale hotel in Williamsburg, Honey Deuces were served in crystal glasses.
Allie Folino, 29, who works at Glamour Magazine, a host of the event, told The Post that sipping the cocktail made her more excited for the big tournament, which she typically skips.
“Maybe a little vodka can get me into tennis a little bit more,” she said.
Honey Deuce Recipe
Fill a chilled highball glass with cubed ice and 1.25 ounces Grey Goose vodka. Top with 3 ounces fresh lemonade and .5 ounce raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord. Garnish with a skewer of 3 honeydew melon balls.
