The Honey Deuce cocktail, which debuted at the US Open in 2006, is arguably as popular today as the tennis tournament itself.
Case in point: An awkward moment occurred on a show this week when a man returning to his seat with two cocktails – one of which was presumably intended for the woman next to him – was beaten to it by another man sitting in the row behind him.
But if it weren’t for one man purchasing honeydew melon balls before a weekend in the Hamptons a few years ago, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open might not have looked the way it does today.
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Fox News Digital spoke with Nick Mautone, a mixologist and hospitality consultant who served as a brand ambassador for Grey Goose Vodka, to discuss how the drink came to be.
Originally from New York and now residing in Seattle, Mautone said he was tasked with creating a new cocktail for the U.S. Open when Grey Goose became the official beverage sponsor in 2006.
The Honey Deuce is the signature cocktail of the US Open. It is the brainchild of New York City mixologist Nick Mautone, pictured right. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images; Nick Mautone)
As Mautone was driving home to the Hamptons, he stopped to buy some ingredients to create a dessert salad he planned to prepare for guests who would be visiting.
On the shopping list were honeydew melon balls.
“Immediately, lightning went off and I said, ‘My God, those look like tennis balls,’” Mautone recalled to Fox News Digital.
“My God, they really do look like tennis balls.”
“So from that point on, I knew that was the garnish, non-negotiable.”
Mautone introduced it to the Grey Goose branding team, who “fell in love” with the trim; he also spoke with the U.S. Open staff.
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“The catering people weren’t really excited about making a billion honeydew melon balls,” Mautone said.
That is, until they found a company that “makes hundreds of thousands of melon balls every day and ships them fresh to the US Open.”
The US Open Honey Deuce is made with Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade and a drizzle of Chambord black raspberry liqueur. Honeydew melon balls serve as garnish. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Initially, Mautone played with “a few iterations” of the cocktail, including a version using blackberry liqueur, before settling on the final recipe.
It includes Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade, a “dash” of Chambord black raspberry liqueur and, of course, honeydew melon balls.
The goal, Mautone explained, was to avoid making “a very complex drink so that bartenders could serve it without getting frustrated.”
“And lo and behold, it became a cultural icon.”
He added: “For a bartender, making a drink is a very simple two or three step process.” He added that he was “also committed to making a great drink.”
Since the tournament is being played in New York in August, Mautone didn’t want “something very alcoholic, because it’s too alcoholic and not pleasant to drink in the summer heat.”
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Mautone said he thought customers were “getting bored with beer and other beverages” — so the Honey Deuce came at the right time.
“And lo and behold, it became a cultural icon,” Mautone said.
The inspiration for the Honey Deuce cocktail came from honeydew melon balls, which resemble small tennis balls. (Grey Goose; iStock)
He attributes much of that to “old-fashioned guerrilla marketing,” he said.
“It went viral,” he said.
The cocktail was created before Instagram existed and when social media was still in its infancy, so the Honey Deuce didn’t become famous outside of Queens, New York, until much later.
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“It’s become a cultural phenomenon through social media, especially honeydew melon balls, which I think a lot of people consider to be a great topping for a tennis match,” Mautone said.
“So it became an Instagram-worthy drink, very convivial, very refreshing and inviting.”
The Honey Deuce has been the signature cocktail of the US Open since Grey Goose took over as beverage sponsor in 2006. (Grey Goose)
The Honey Deuce has recently been in the news after its latest price increase, selling for $23.
It sold for $22 at last year’s tournament.
Mautone said he thought the drink, which comes with a souvenir mug, was appropriately priced.
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“If I was in midtown Manhattan or a big craft cocktail bar in Brooklyn and I ordered a craft cocktail, I would pay $18,” he said.
“So when you say $23, it’s not a lot more expensive for the experience you get at one of the biggest sporting events in the country, to me.”
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Mautone said he plans to attend the U.S. Open.
And when asked if he planned to order a Honey Deuce while he was there, his response was emphatic: “Absolutely.”
