I bought mine at the official Grey Goose stand outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but you can find it everywhere. The vodka lemonade came out of a tap, with the attendant adding a splash of Chambord and placing a garnish stick on top. Premium mixology it ain’t.
The drink is on the sweet side – an unavoidable hazard in the United States – but overall, very drinkable. It doesn’t taste too strong, which is probably for the best, though some may object. The honeydew melon balls – resembling tennis balls, obviously – are a fun touch and perhaps the only fruit available in all of Flushing Meadows.
Would I pay $US23 for this anywhere else? I’d like to think not. But at the tennis? Well, why not? After all, I’d forked out $US16 for a Heineken the night before.
Heather and Ferris, mum and daughter tennis fans from Atlanta, Georgia, with a honey deuce cocktail at the US Open.Credit: Michael Koziol
“When in Rome, you have to do it,” said Heather, who was drinking a glass of wine on Monday afternoon while her daughter Ferris tried the honey deuce. The pair from Atlanta, Georgia, have attended every grand slam event this year, including the Australian Open in Melbourne, which Heather rated the best of the four.
Kudzai Chinyadza, a tennis fan from Texas, was tasting the frozen version of the honey deuce. “Honestly, I was surprised because at a lot of events, prices are higher,” she said. “But I think it’s fair. And it’s pretty big, too.”
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You also get to take the highball glass home. It comes with US Open branding and a list of all the men’s and women’s champions from the tournament’s history.
The honey deuce is far from the only pricey item on the menu. You’ll pay $US22 for a glass of Napa Valley sauvignon blanc at the Eataly stall, or $US26 for six chicken nuggets at one vendor in the food village – though it does come with three sauces and pickled radish.
As for the $US40 lobster roll, I want my money back. Full disclosure: I used up the entire daily allowance on my media pass – $US25 – and paid the rest myself. And $US15 seems about right for what you get.
We’re not talking a foot-long sandwich here. This is a single, small bread roll, filled with a reasonable amount of lobster and some cheap lettuce. It comes with a small packet of crisps, not fries or anything fancy.
I was left feeling hungry, stupid and grateful for half of a friend’s hamburger – which, for the record, was also pretty grim.
And once again, Christopher Hitchens was right.
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