How the Honey Deuce became a U.S. Open icon—and how drink brands are racing to become the next one

The U.S. Open officially marks the end of the summer season in New York City, and with it comes social media’s favorite seasonal cocktail: the Honey Deuce.

Featuring lemonade, raspberry liqueur, Grey Goose vodka, and the iconic three honeydew melon balls that resemble those used in the game, the Honey Deuce has become as much a staple of the U.S. Open as the actual tennis.

On social media, influencers and fans alike pose with their cocktails. Restaurants across the city sell their own versions of the drink. And the hundreds of thousands of fans bring their highball cups back home after buying them. It’s as if, without the drink, fans might never set foot at the stadium in the first place.

The Honey Deuce has held its spot as a fan favorite since its launch in 2007, following in the footsteps of the mint julep at the Kentucky Derby, or the Pimm’s Cup at Wimbledon. The love of the drink also translates to numbers, with the tournament selling 738,459 Honey Deuces last year (which equals to around 2 million melon balls).

But while the drink gained notoriety in a pre-social-media world by giving tennis fans a cheeky beverage that nodded to the sport, the cocktail space at the U.S. Open exists in the era of a shifting fan base.

Fans come not just to watch tennis icons like Alcaraz and Sabalenka, but also for the broader U.S. Open experience, one filled with caviar nuggets and Instagrammable moments from left to right—opening the door for more brands to tap into the social power of a signature drink.

Creating lightning in a bottle

When famed mixologist and hospitality expert Nick Mautone was tasked with creating a signature U.S. Open drink for Grey Goose—who just a year before had become an official sponsor of the tournament—he took inspiration from his own traditions.

In his home in Hampton Bays, New York, Mautone picked up fresh blackberries, rosemary, and a honeydew melon, recreating a summer family recipe for a fresh dessert.

“While in the process of making these honeydew melon balls, I just had that eureka moment. I said to my wife, ‘Oh my God, this is the garnish for the drink,’” Mautone tells Fast Company.

With the garnish ready, he opted for refreshing ingredients that would be friendly for hot summer days, but not so strong that fans would “tip over” with a single serve.

But a good recipe is not enough to create a phenomenon. That had to happen organically. “I did not enter the recipe-testing phase, nor in my wildest dreams did I think it was going to become this successful,” he says.

But Mautone and the Grey Goose team, although somewhat inadvertently, became pioneers in creating cocktails ripe with social media potential.

Despite social media not being what it is today—it was still three years before Instagram even came out—the cheeky homage to the game led fans to engage with the drink, some even using flip phones to take photos of the cocktail, Mautone says.

But the success, while hard to replicate, came from a simple formula: quality ingredients, exclusivity (you can only get it during the U.S. Open season), and keeping fan experience top of mind.

Before, a gesture to tennis was enough to generate excitement, but now, as a shifting fan base looks for social media moments, the Honey Deuce has seamlessly become part of the U.S. Open experience—not just an added bonus.

As cocktails become part of a broader fan experience, which is not specific to the courts anymore, other sponsors now have the opportunity to elicit organic content from fans eager to show off how they made their way to Arthur Ashe.

“Other brands have a significant window to ride the wave as people are going to the U.S. Open for the experience,” Mautone says, referencing the expanded food and drink offerings in the pavilion surrounding the stadium.

A drink for a new fan base

Many sponsors are actively trying to take advantage of the moment, ripe with opportunity to engage with fans—and get some social media content in the process.

But each sponsor has taken its own specific strategy for creating its very own hit.

Some brands have relied on the exclusivity element of the U.S. Open. For example, IHG Hotels & Resorts offers a signature Watermelon Slice drink—featuring fresh watermelon juice, lime, elderflower, and Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut—that has only been available on the tournament grounds since its release in 2025.

“We know fans love it, because this limited-edition cocktail—which you can only experience at the IHG Racquet Bar—sold out daily last year,” Connor Smith, senior vice president of global brands at IHG Hotels & Resorts, tells Fast Company.

And, like the Honey Deuce’s highball cup, the Watermelon Slice also gives fans an added souvenir: a bright yellow-green glass that resembles a tennis ball.

Others also leaned in to a tennis-themed garnish, like the Moët Serve, which features champagne with lime wheels—a nod to the tennis ball—packaged in an eye-catching clear can. Despite this being the first year that the drink was served at the U.S. Open, it was a success on social media, with influencers and fans sharing pictures of the can across platforms.

“Social media is where a lot of this excitement is happening now, and a great signature drink gives people something shareable, something worth taking a picture of and to celebrate with. The Moët Serve was built for that moment,” Chris Gabaldon, president and CEO of Moët Hennessy North America, tells Fast Company.

But other sponsors, like Maestro Dobel Tequila, put their trust in the product and its heritage instead, offering a drink known to many with a tennis twist: the Ace Paloma.

While the drink also has a take-away cup, its presentation is less on the nose than the others. And yet, its popularity has grown throughout the years.

“We saw an opportunity to bring fans something new through our modern Mexican perspective. As one of Mexico’s most iconic cocktails, the Paloma was a natural fit,” says Lander Otegui, executive vice president of marketing and innovation at Proximo Spirits. “Last year alone, more than 78,000 Ace Palomas were sold on-site, up nearly 13% from 2024.”

But while replicating the sheer scale of the Honey Deuce’s popularity doesn’t have a formula, each brand has found success in their own strategy, each engaging with fans looking for more than tennis.

“You have to follow those moments in time where the customer base is shifting and adapt,” Mautone says. “But you can’t go into it looking to create the lightning in a bottle.”

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