With the U.S. Open just weeks away, Honey Deuce season is officially upon us. And while the annual tennis tournament in Flushing, Queens will forever be enshrined as the birthplace of the trendy melon ball-garnished vodka drink, it has also grown way bigger than the event itself. It’s now enough of a bar-room staple that we’re seeing variations pop-up on cocktail menus far beyond the boundaries of Arthur Ashe Stadium. In other words, we’re witnessing the canonization of a modern classic.

As is the case with any such standard, it is evolving beyond its original specs. A particularly promising example is set to arrive at The Wall Street Hotel later this month. We’ve scored your first taste of the tipple; get ready for the Match Point. Here, lychee and lemongrass sub-in for the standard 3-cup pour of lemonade integral to the standard recipe. The chassis of the cocktail remains the same, built around Grey Goose Vodka, raspberry liqueur and, of course, the trio of skewered honeydew melon scoops meant to evoke tennis balls. But the modified ingredients introduce a fragrant, tropical tonality to complement the tartness of the red berry.

Dare we say it’s even more approachable than the genuine article? It’s a bold assertion that would augur well for the five-star property in Lower Manhattan, considering that Grey Goose reported $17 million in Honey Deuce sales at last year’s Open – a record figure since the drink debuted there in 2011. That colossal sum required nearly 740,000 serves, priced at $23 a pop.

The Match Point, by comparison, is going for a mere $18 a pour. It’s available at both F+B venues within The Wall Street Hotel beginning on August 23rd. They include the property’s popular French market bistro, La Marchande, as well as Lounge on Pearl – a cocktail parlor that’s already renowned for its own sort of spherical garnishes: caviar-like bubbles that instantly transform martinis into dry, dirty, and espresso iterations.

Those playful-yet-punchy signature arrangements are the brainchild of beverage director Amy Racine along with head bartender Valeria Gonzalez. They are the same two acclaimed tastemakers responsible for the Match Point, which follows a similar game plan for success. The drink is intended to pay homage to what they call an “unmistakable symbol of the tournament,” while also allowing for a fair measure of whimsy.

You’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of that labor throughout the duration of the 2026 U.S. Open, which concludes on September 13th. It promises to cap off quite an auspicious year for sports in this corner of Manhattan (and we haven’t even gotten to the MLB playoffs yet). The Wall Street Hotel was positioned front and center for World Cup commuters last month and was blocks away from the New York Knicks ticker-tape parade route in the middle of June.

Neither of those events received their own dedicated cocktail. But scoops of citrus could certainly work well as garnish in any orange-and-blue-hued cocktail paying homage to a certain local team that happens to be the reigning NBA champion. We’re just saying…