The Honey Deuce is the U.S. Open’s most famous cocktail.
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While inflation rates have cooled in recent years, U.S. Open attendees may still be experiencing the aftertaste as they sip on the tennis championship’s iconic beverage.
The so-called Honey Deuce carries an eye-popping price tag of $23. While the drink costs the same as last year, it has had six price hikes since 2012 — and has outpaced inflation over the past decade.
The vodka-based beverage has become synonymous with the New York City-based event. It’s adorned with honeydew melon chunks that resemble tennis balls and is served in a souvenir glass.
Despite the high cost, the U.S. Open sold more than 550,000 of the cocktail last year, bringing in almost $13 million in revenue, according to NBC New York.
As tennis fans descend on New York for the two-week-long event, CNBC calculated how the Honey Deuce’s price change has fared compared with broader inflation.
Honey Deuce enthusiasts are shelling out around 53% more than they did in 2015, when the beverage cost $15, according to Sportico’s price tracker.
That’s higher than broader inflation as tracked in the consumer price index, or CPI. The CPI, which monitors a broad basket of goods and services, has increased about 36% between August 2015 and July 2025, the last month with data available.
In other words, if the Honey Deuce rose in tandem with overall inflation, it would cost approximately $20.33 today. The U.S. Tennis Association, which operates the facilities where the U.S. Open is held, did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Honey Deuce’s price has also risen at a faster clip than other alcoholic beverages bought outside of homes in U.S. cities. That average cost is up nearly 34% between August 2015 and July 2025, meaning it has seen slightly lower inflation than the overall CPI basket has.
