The Honey Deuce cocktail, which made its debut at the U.S. Open in 2006, is arguably as popular today as the tennis tournament itself.
Case in point: An awkward moment occurred during a broadcast this week when a man returning to his seat with two of the cocktails — one of which was presumably for the woman next to him — was beaten to it by another man seated in the row behind him.
But if not for one man’s purchase of honeydew melon balls before a weekend in the Hamptons some years ago, the U.S. Open’s signature cocktail might not have looked as it does today.
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Fox News Digital spoke with Nick Mautone, a mixologist and hospitality industry consultant who served as brand ambassador for Grey Goose vodka, to discuss the birth of the beverage.
A New York native who lives in Seattle today, 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.
As Mautone was driving home in the Hamptons, he stopped to pick up some items to create a dessert salad that he intended to make for guests who would be visiting.
On the grocery list were honeydew melon balls.
“Immediately the thunderbolt went off and I said, ‘Holy cow, these look just like tennis balls,'” Mautone recalled to Fox News Digital.
“Holy cow, these look just like tennis balls.”
“So, from that moment on, I knew that that was the garnish, non-negotiable.”
Mautone presented it to the brand team at Grey Goose, who “fell in love” with the garnish; he also spoke to the U.S. Open staff.
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“The people doing the food service operations were less than thrilled at the idea of making a gazillion 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 U.S. Open.”
Mautone played around with “a couple of iterations” of the cocktail at first, including one version that used blackberry liqueur, before settling on the final recipe.
It includes Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade, a “drizzle” of Chambord black raspberry liqueur and, of course, the honeydew melon balls.
The goal, Mautone said, was to avoid making “a very complex drink so that the bartenders can actually serve it without getting frustrated.”
“Lo and behold, it’s become a cultural icon.”
He added, “It’s a very simple two- or three-step process for a bartender to make the drink.” He said he was “dead set on a tall drink as well.”
Since the tournament is played in New York in August, Mautone didn’t want “something very spirit-forward because it’s too alcoholic and not pleasant to drink in the summer heat.”
Mautone said he believes patrons were “getting bored with beer and other libations” — so the Honey Deuce came along at the right time.
“Lo and behold, it’s become a cultural icon,” Mautone said.
He attributes much of it to “old-school guerrilla marketing,” he said.
“It went viral,” he said.
The cocktail was crafted before Instagram existed and while social media was still in its infancy — so the Honey Deuce didn’t find fame outside of Queens, New York, until much later.
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“It’s become a cultural phenomenon by virtue of social media, specifically the honeydew melon balls, which I think a lot of people just look at as a genius garnish at a tennis match,” Mautone said.
“So it’s become an Instagram-worthy drink that’s very friendly, very refreshing and inviting.”
The Honey Deuce has been in the news recently after its latest price hike, selling for $23.
It sold for $22 at last year’s tournament.
Mautone said he thinks the beverage, which comes with a souvenir cup, is priced appropriately.
“If I was in midtown Manhattan or a great craft cocktail bar in Brooklyn and I ordered a craft cocktail, I’d be paying $18,” he said.
“So, when you say $23, it’s not that much more for the experience you’re getting at, to me, one of the greatest sporting events in the country.”
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Mautone said he plans to attend the U.S. Open.
And when asked if he intended to order a Honey Deuce while he’s there, his answer was emphatic: “Absolutely.”
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