Honeydeuce has left the stadium.
Made with Grey Goose vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur and garnished with a honeydew melon ball, the cocktail has been a wildly popular staple at the U.S. Open for years: Last year, 450,000 of the $22 drink were sold at the tournament, which begins Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
But the drink has gradually taken on a life of its own: There’s now Honeydeuce merchandise and take-home cocktail pods, and this year a record number of bars across the city, more than 140, are serving up both official and unofficial concoctions.
“The love for the Honeyduce has grown every year,” said Aleko Azqueta, vice president of marketing for Grey Goose, the French vodka brand that sponsors the U.S. Open and invented the cocktail nearly 20 years ago.
Many bars have been serving the drink since well before the tournament began — Fulton Hall in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, added it to their menu last Monday and had fans sipping it that same day.
The drink was added to the menu at Midtown rooftop restaurant Haven on Thursday, but last year it wasn’t available until the start of the tournament.
With New Yorkers disappointed that the Olympics are over, “we thought there couldn’t be a better year to celebrate the U.S. Open early,” general manager Elda De Villa said.
Even people who know nothing about top seeds or double faults drink it.
Earlier this week, Chloe Kinison, a 28-year-old Manhattan resident who works at an executive search firm, drank a Honeyduce at Dante in the West Village.
“I’m obsessed with it. It’s so cute,” said Kinison, who is not a tennis fan and has never been to the U.S. Open. “I love any drink that comes with a little tidbit,” she said gleefully, munching on a melon ball.
In 2020, when the pandemic kept spectators away from tournament venues, the Honey Deuce soared over the baseline. Several bars and restaurants in New York City and the Hamptons added the drink to their menus. In 2022, Grey Goose began offering a canned version for take-home use. But this year, that all took a turn.
For the first time, the USTA is selling Honey Deuce T-shirts and hats, both of which have been well-received.
“Right now, T-shirts are our top selling item and hats are our second best selling item,” a USTA spokesperson told The Post.
David Aaron, owner of Manhattan T-shirt company SodaDesignCo, introduced his first-ever Honeydeuces T-shirts and stickers this week.
He shared a sneak peek of the design on Instagram earlier this month, a cheery illustration that didn’t actually say “Honey Deuce” to avoid offending Grey Goose, but he said he’s been surprised by the enthusiasm for it.
“My followers aren’t tennis fans,” he says, “and I knew this would be a great Instagram-worthy drink, but I was surprised at how much they liked it.”
Bartesian, which makes a cocktail pod machine similar to Nespresso’s cocktail maker, has also been garnering enthusiastic support for its new “Honeyduce” pods, which allow customers to make cocktails at home with the push of a button.
Those looking to enjoy the cocktail on the go can use the “Honey Deuce Locator” on Grey Goose’s website to find establishments that serve the drink, but the locator only includes bars and restaurants that have official partnerships with the liquor giant.
Others offer seedless takes, sometimes with a bit of a topspin: Dante makes his own version, swapping pineapple and honey for raspberry liqueur, while Jack’s on Bond uses yuzu liqueur.
At a rooftop party celebrating women’s tennis players at the William Vale Hotel in Williamsburg last Tuesday, Honeydeuces were served in crystal glasses.
Allie Folino, 29, who works for Glamour magazine, which organizes the event, told The Post that drinking the cocktails helped her get excited about the big tournament she usually misses.
“Maybe if I had a little vodka I’d be a little more into tennis,” she said.
Honeyduce Recipe
Add ice cubes to a chilled highball glass 1.25 oz. Grey Goose Vodka. On top 3 ounces Fresh Lemonade and 0.5 oz. Raspberry liqueurServed with skewers such as Chambord 3 honeydew melon balls.
