The US Open Is Almost Over And All I Want Is A Honey Deuce

5.4 million spheres of honeydew melon have been skewered and consumed at the US Open since 2007. For context, that's enough to go up the Empire State building and then some, but the hundreds of thousands of tennis fans who flock to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY to attend the US Open each year are a thirsty bunch. While tennis (the final Grand Slam of the year, to be exact) is the name of the game, it's the light pink, citrus-y vodka cocktail adorned with three fresh, perfectly cold balls of honeydew melon that sits top of mind for many Open-goers.

The drink in question is the Honey Deuce, the signature cocktail of the US Open and perhaps the most iconic symbol of the annual sporting event. The craze started back in 2006, when Grey Goose, a sponsor of the US Open, partnered with expert mixologist and restaurant industry veteran of Union Square Hospitality and Gotham Bar & Grill, Nick Mautone, to craft a vodka cocktail for the event. The drink was to encapsulate the delicate balance of outright fun and upscale decadence that the Open is known for, and the result –– a raspberry- and lemon-flavored cocktail made with Chambord raspberry liqueur, lemonade, and Grey Goose vodka –– certainly delivered. It's delightfully sweet and citrusy, and incredibly refreshing to sip on as the late-August sun beats down onto concrete- and metal-filled stadiums. As for the name? It's a play on the deuce, when the score of a set is 40-40, meaning that one player will have to score two more consecutive points to win the set. And, of course, the true star of the cocktail: honeydew.

"For me, it's that stick of honeydew that makes me crave the drink," said Sheryl Singer. She and her friend Debroah Turner travel each year to the US Open from Georgia. "During 2020, we made the drinks at home when we couldn't come up," added Turner. "Luckily we each had a cabinet filled with Honey Deuce glasses from years past. I was on melon duty."

Each year, the drinks are served in hard acrylic Collins glasses printed with information about the Open and the year of the tournament. For annual Open goers, they are the perfect piece of functional, collectable memorabilia from the event. Piled high with ice, the thick walls of the acrylic glass help insulate the cocktail, locking in its cooling goodness. Tucked away near the Grandstand, the smallest of the stadiums at the US Open, is a Grey Goose bar serving the highly coveted frozen Honey Deuce: a creamy, slushy version of the signature cocktail that feels like the ultimate treat. I can personally confirm that If you walk through the Open with a frozen Honey Deuce, heads will turn and people will accost you for exact directions on how to find it.

This year, the cocktail is available outside the US Open grounds for the first time. In certain zip codes in the NYC area, fans can enjoy canned Honey Deuces from the comfort of their homes with the Honey Deuce Express, a direct-to-consumer canned cocktail delivery service, which features the same refreshing cocktail in a convenient (and very attractive!) can.

A 4-pack of canned cocktail goes for $60, a steal compared to what the cocktail retails for at the US Open grounds: a steep $22, and according to Sportico, the price hikes on the cocktail are outpacing inflation. Making it at home is an excellent, year round, alternative for tennis fans. Plus, you can enjoy it any time of year.