Fresh lemonade, simple syrup, Grey Goose vodka, and raspberry liqueur, topped with balls of honeydew melon – this is the drink of August. Much like how July is for strawberries and cream with the smell of fresh-cut grass at Wimbledon, the chlorine-like smell of hard courts at the US Open can only be combined with a fruity cocktail. And if the numbers are anything to go by, all of America loves the Honey Deuce.

Nick Mautone, former Grey Goose ambassador and restaurateur, was in charge of designing a simple and easy cocktail that could be served en masse easily. When asked to think of tennis and fruits, the honeydew melon’s similarity to tennis balls came to his mind. Behold, the birth of the official US Open cocktail!

Alcohol and sports always go hand-in-hand, and Mautone’s trademark concoction has been winning the hearts of New York City since 2006. Per stats, the Honey Deuce is the best cocktail in sports. As Jose Morgado reported, “2023 U.S. Open Sales. 450,000 Honey Deuces x $22 each = $9.9 million.” Per Front Office Sports, the drink will now cost $23, which is admittedly a lot more than the strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, which costs £2.50, or $3.30.

If the end of summer and a cold drink weren’t a match made in heaven, what was? The Honey Deuce is a staple in late August at Flushing Meadows, as the sale amount clearly backs it up. With more than 450,000 Honey Deuces sold in 2023, it was an 11% increase from 2022.

“The Honey Deuce has really become a go-to drink at the U.S. Open, and it’s interesting how it’s shaped the sports drinking scene over the past decade,” Gianna Burns, a brand ambassador for Chambord Liqueur said. Every attendee at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center wants that iconic picture of the US Open glass filled with the dark fuschia liquid at the top of the seats, with the memorable blue hard courts and skies merging into one in the background.

For the genius that made this cocktail part of the tennis as much as beer and hotdogs are part of baseball games, bringing a resemblance to the actual game was also important. “As I was scooping honeydew melon balls, it struck me—they looked just like tennis balls. In that moment, inspiration hit, and the concept for our cocktail was born,” Mautone told Forbes.

But as The New York Post reports, this summer cocktail has run away from NYC and spread beyond tennis as well. Bottoms up!

Honey Deuce has run away from the US Open; it has merch now

The cocktail introduced to American audiences that love tennis almost two decades ago has escaped far beyond the confines of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Even those who don’t enjoy tennis or are not regular watchers know the drink now.

There are merchandise and home cocktail pods for Honey Deuce now, with more than 140 bars – a record number- serving it across the city in 2024. And while the US Open officially kicks off today, the drink has been for sale since last week. Aleco Azqueta, Vice President of Marketing for Grey Goose, said of its popularity. “The love for the Honey Deuce is growing each year.”

In 2022, the vodka brand also started offering a canned version of the drink. And perhaps in a rare historical moment in a city that’s full of them, there are Honey Deuce T-shirts and hats, merch dedicated to a cocktail! Even a USTA personnel was impressed, as they told the NY Post, “To date the T-shirt is our number one selling item, and the hat is our number two selling item.”

Is there any reason not to enjoy the intensity of sports with a side of alcohol now? While autumn will bring in more indoor games, the last major of the season for tennis is here!