At 20, the Honey Deuce Is Part Cocktail, Part U.S. Open Souvenir Economy

A drink designed to look like tennis

Created by restaurateur Nick Mautone, the Honey Deuce combines vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur with three honeydew balls resembling tennis balls. Reuters reported the first 25,000 sold out in 2007 and about 800,000 sold in 2025 at $23 each.

Multiplying price and volume suggests large gross revenue, not profit. Ingredients, cups, staff, licensing and venue operations sit behind the retail number.

The cup outlasts the cocktail

Each year's cup lists past champions, turning packaging into a dated souvenir. Fans take stacks home and resell older versions, giving one purchase both immediate and collectible value.

Social media arrived at the right moment. The pink drink, green garnish and printed cup photograph easily against a blue court, letting spectators distribute the marketing themselves.

Scale and access

Reuters reported that operators prepare 2.5 million to 3 million melon balls during the tournament. A whimsical garnish becomes an industrial logistics problem at that scale.

At $23, the ritual is not accessible to every fan and is never required to enjoy the tennis. Its longevity still shows how repetition can turn a sponsored concession into shared event culture.

Limits and what to watch

Sales counts measure drinks or cups, not unique buyers, and gross sales are not profit.

The next development to watch is whether the ritual survives changing prices, alcohol preferences and souvenir habits.

What’s the Scoop With Broach will keep this report tied to dated records and named sources. Coverage of the Honey Deuce cocktail's twentieth U.S. Open season should change only when new evidence changes the verified account. For tennis spectators, event vendors and consumers, that means future updates will identify the issuing institution, explain what is newly established and preserve any uncertainty that remains. Readers can use the source list below to inspect the underlying material and distinguish this newsroom’s synthesis from the official documents and independently reported facts on which it relies.