Honey Deuce

If you can’t attend the U.S. Tennis Open in person to drink its signature HONEY DEUCE cocktail, you can easily make it at home. This “fruity & tart” vodka highball has been the tournament’s best selling drink since introduced in 2007. Making it at home requires no bar tools and mixes directly into an ice-filled glass. It’s served with ball-shaped honeydew melon, cut to resemble tennis balls.

Requirements: vodka, fresh lemonade, raspberry liqueur (Chambord recommended), honeydew melon balls

• 1.25 oz. vodka
• 0.5 oz. raspberry liqueur
• 3 oz. fresh lemonade
• 3 honeydew melon balls

Use a melon baller to scoop honeydew melon into a ball shape and place beforehand in a freezer. Fill a chilled highball glass with ice. Add vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur. Garnish with the frozen melon balls on a cocktail skewer and serve with a straw.

History: The original recipe was created by NYC bartender Nick Mautone in 2007 using Grey Goose vodka, a sponsor of the Open. It has become so popular that they created a canned version of the cocktail for fans.

Comments: Any favorite vodka can be used. The raspberry liqueur preference is Chambord for its complex mix of raspberries & blackberries, which balances nicely with freshly made tart lemonade. I used Ketel One vodka, French raspberry liqueur made by Mathilde, and all natural lemonade made by Tropicana — it was refreshingly fruity and good. Though the Tropicana lemonade misses some of the lemony tartness of freshly-made lemonade, the mix still works.

Similar cocktails:

Platinum Blonde: https://keetscocktails.com/platinum-blonde/

Dirty Shirley: https://keetscocktails.com/dirty-shirley/

Paloma – https://keetscocktails.com/paloma-2/