The biggest star of the US Open: A cocktail that brought in $10 million

• It's time for the US Open — and that means it's time for the Honey Deuce.
• Last year, the event's signature cocktail generated roughly $9.9 million in sales.
• The price for the vodka and lemonade drink has been hiked to $23 this year.

One of the biggest draws at the US Open may not be swinging rackets on tennis courts, but hanging out behind beverage stands.

The Honey Deuce — the tennis tournament's official cocktail — has not only become an incessantly Instagrammable staple of the Open but a lucrative sales driver.

The drink was first served up in 2007, and over 2.25 million have been sold on stadium grounds to date, according to Grey Goose.

Ingredients include vodka, lemonade, Chambord, and a honeydew melon ball garnish — a nod to tennis balls. The Honey Deuce was the brainchild of restaurateur Nick Mautone, who consulted for Grey Goose in the early 2000s.

Last year, roughly 450,000 Deuces were sold at the Open, according to Grey Goose. In 2023, the cocktail was priced at $22 apiece for a roughly $9.9 million haul.

Grey Goose called the Honey Deuce a "bonafide US Open icon" ahead of this year's tournament.

"Following our most successful tournament to-date, GREY GOOSE is excited to return to the US Open for our 18th year of partnership," Grey Goose North America VP of Marketing Aleco Azqueta said.

This year, the cocktail is a bit more expensive at $23 — the latest in a series of price increases. In 2012, the Honey Deuce was just $14, per Morning Brew, and its rise has substantially outpaced CPI inflation.

Grey Goose will again also offer canned versions of the cocktail throughout the duration of the Open, and it will also be available at roughly 140 bars across New York City.

The US Open even sells Honey Deuce-inspired merch.

The final grand slam of the tennis season kicked off Monday in Queens and will run through September 8. Qualifying matches last week already broke attendance records, according to the Open.