5 Quintessential Tennis Cocktails Beyond the Honey Deuce

What makes a quintessential tennis cocktail?

It’s impossible to answer that question without addressing the bright-pink elephant in the room. In recent years, the U.S. Open has turned the Honey Deuce into a viral sensation on par with the Espresso Martini or Aperol Spritz. You’re probably familiar with the formula: Grey Goose Vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemonade poured into a keepsake cup and topped with a melonball skewer garnish. Under any other circumstance, it sounds like the kind of drink your grandparents might’ve sipped in the 1940s.

Of course, the U.S. Open isn’t any other circumstance. The Honey Deuce reportedly sold over 500,000 units at last year’s championship, amounting to nearly $12.8 million in sales over the span of a mere two weeks. The cocktail is a moneymaking behemoth. So much so that it’s easy to forget all the other delicious tennis-themed drinks up for grabs inside and outside of the stadium.

Disclaimer: If you’re looking for a recipe that tastes totally unlike the Honey Deuce, this may not be the right place. The popularity of tennis’ reigning cocktail champion has had a trickle-down effect on the mixology world. In 2025, most brands hoping to create a definitive tennis sipper have followed the formula to a tee, meaning that a) they usually include Grey Goose Vodka and/or lemonade, or b) they include an on-the-nose tennis reference in the title, such as “ace,” or, of course, “deuce.”

1. Ace Paloma

(Photo: Maestro Dobel)

The U.S. Open boasts five alcohol sponsors: Grey Goose Vodka, Aperol, Moët & Chandon, Heineken and Maestro Dobel Tequila. Though Grey Goose’s signature cocktail is by far the most famous of the bunch, some attendees at the championship prefer Dobel’s riff on the festivities, the Ace Paloma. The simple affair shakes up the classic paloma recipe with a splash of cristalino tequila. But simplicity doesn’t always add up to a low price, especially at a headline sporting event. The Ace Paloma costs $22 on game day — and you can easily mix one up in your kitchen at cents on the dollar.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Dobel Diamante Cristalino
• 4 oz grapefruit soda
• Squeeze of fresh lime
• Grapefruit slice and Black salt, for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a glass with fresh ice and pour in Dobel Diamante Cristalino. Top with grapefruit soda, then garnish the rim with black salt and add a grapefruit slice.

2. Pimm’s Cup

(Photo: Pimm’s)

Decades before the Honey Deuce, there was the Pimm’s Cup. The British staple has been served at the Wimbledon tennis tournament since 1971, and has since been rechristened as the official cocktail of the event. In addition to sparkling lemonade, ample fruit slices and, occasionally, ginger ale, the recipe hinges around Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, a gin-based liqueur with a flavor halfway between orange marmalade and digestive botanicals. If that sounds like an acquired taste, rest assured that attendees at Wimbledon have acquired it. The Pimm’s Cup reportedly nets over 300,000 orders per year at the tournament, plus many more at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Royal Ascot. This floating fruit salad of a cocktail is a summertime classic for good reason.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Cup
• 4 oz mixer — either sparkling lemonade, lemon-flavored soda (such as Sprite) or Ginger Ale
• Splash of lemon juice
• Slices of cucumber, orange, lemon and strawberry
• Sprig of fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

1. In a tall glass filled with ice cubes, pour in Pimm’s No. 1 Cup and mixer of choice. Drop in slices of cucumber, orange, lemon and strawberry.
2. Place a sprig of fresh mint in the glass and give the drink a gentle stir to ensure everything is well-mixed.

3. That Thing You Dew

(Photo: iichiko Shochu)

Forget the melonball garnish — what about a cocktail that resembles tennis from head to toe? Iichiko Shochu‘s That Thing You Dew takes the tennis-themed drink to its natural conclusion. Soothing splashes of honeydew, lemon and basil play ball against a potent zing of ginger flavor, adding up to one of, if not the most, refreshing drinks you can enjoy while watching your favorite players face off on the field. The shochu used in this recipe clocks in at a modest 25% ABV, practically demanding a second serve after you’ve finished a glass.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz iichiko Silhouette
• 1 oz Honeydew melon juice
• 3/4 oz ginger syrup
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 6 basil leaves
• Basil sprig, for garnish

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into glass with Ice. Garnish with Basil Sprig.

4. The Grey Goose Lemon Ace

(Photo: Grey Goose)

Grey Goose has all of its bases (or rather, aces) covered when it comes to tennis tournament cocktails. Earlier this year, the brand debuted the latest of its many creations at the Australian Open. The Grey Goose Lemon Ace is a sparkling lemonade highball built around the addition of passionfruit syrup, in a roundabout way making it the bastard lovechild of a Pimm’s Cup and a Pornstar Martini. What’s not to like? Adding a hint of tropical fruit to an established recipe is never a bad idea, and we wouldn’t be surprised if this emerges as a breakout hit Down Under in years to come.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 oz Grey Goose Vodka
• 5 oz sparkling lemonade
• 1/2 oz passionfruit syrup
• Lemon zest and fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a chilled highball glass with cubed ice and add vodka.
2. Top with fresh sparkling lemonade and passion fruit syrup.
3. Garnish with fresh mint and lemon zest.

5. Double Deuce

(Photo: COQODAQ)

COQODAQ, founded last year by the owner of the Michelin-starred Cote Korean Steakhouse, is synonymous among the trendy New York City crowd with chicken nuggets, caviar and influencer sightings. It’s a maximalist attitude that extends to the restaurant’s latest cocktail, the Double Deuce. And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you: That’s a giant, tennis ball-shaped ice sphere dangling right in the middle. Whoever’s coming up with these ideas sure knows how to make a splash. As its name implies, the Double Deuce has been pitched as an elevated twist on the Honey Deuce, combining Grey Goose Vodka and melon with gourmet additions of muju jasmine and verjus. Sure, it’s a little ridiculous, but we’d expect nothing else from a restaurant that’s currently serving an $100 takeaway meal at the U.S. Open.

We aren’t able to share the recipe for the Double Deuce, nor would we be able to if we had exact proportions. That’s because the “ball” is in fact a condensed mishmash of the cocktail’s boozy and non-boozy ingredients, goading guests to take a picture or two as it slowly melts throughout their meal. For the time being, the only place to grab this showstopping drink is at COQODAQ in the Flatiron District.