Wimbledon has the Pimm’s Cup. The Kentucky Derby has the Mint Julep. The U.S. Open has the Honey Deuce—Grey Goose, fresh lemonade, raspberry liqueur, all topped with a honeydew melon skewer. Over one million honey deuces have been served at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the past four years alone (that’s three million honeydew melon balls and over 37,000 bottles of Grey Goose, in case you were wondering). Every year, its popularity grows exponentially: there’s been an 88 percent increase in orders from 2015-2019. Simply put: You can’t not get a Honey Deuce (or its non-alcoholic iteration) at the Open.
It’s remarkable that a libation became so loved, so fast—Pimm’s Cups and Mint Juleps, after all, have centuries-old origins. The Honey Deuce celebrates its mere 15th anniversary this year.
It all started with the honeydew melons. In 2006, U.S. Open sponsor Grey Goose asked Nick Mautone, a successful restaurateur who had been managing partner at Gramercy Tavern, to create a vodka drink for the annual Grand Slam tournament. It was a challenging, creative honor. The cocktail had to stand out but also be straightforward: the Open’s large crowds mean bartenders can’t spend a lot of time crafting. (“You had to minimize the prep work,” Mautone says.) It had to be refreshing, considering the heat of New York in early September, yet had to also complement the ball park-esque cuisine from concessions. It also had to be, well, universally delicious, since hundreds and thousands of people attend the Open per year.
Mautone constantly mulled it all over that summer, turning his Hamptons house into a test kitchen of sorts. One failed version included rosemary syrup, another muddled lemons. But one afternoon, during a trip to a Shinnecock Farmers market, a carton of mini spherical honeydew melons caught his eye. “I thought. . . those look exactly like iridescent tennis balls.”
During its debut season, the Honey Deuce smashed previous cocktail service records. But it was the year following where Mautone realized the impact it had. He and his wife invited a few guests over for dinner. A tennis match was on in the background. Suddenly, a guest started going on and on about the delicious “honeydew drink” she had when she attended last year. “She had no idea I invented it,” Mautone says. “And that happens every year—every time the U.S. Open comes around, I just keep hearing about the drink.”
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