The U.S. Open tennis tournament concludes this weekend, with the women’s final today between No. 8 Amanda Anisimova and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, while the men’s final will be contested Sunday afternoon between No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who faced each other in the French Open and Wimbledon finals this year.

And the best way to enjoy this weekend’s matches is the same way they’re doing at the National Tennis Center in New York City — with a Honey Deuce cocktail.

The drink is garnished with honeydew melon balls — that look like mini tennis balls — grown by the Turlock Fruit Company.

Replacing the word “dew” with “deuce” is a play on the word for “tie score” in tennis.

“It gives me a real sense of accomplishment to provide the melons that go into the drink,” said Steve Smith, president of Turlock Fruit Company, which has been providing the melons used at the U.S. Open for the past 16 years. “It has staying power, that’s for sure. And I’m happy to see that.”

According to Smith, nearly 8,000 cases of melons were shipped to Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, which carves out some 2.3 million melon balls to be used during the two-week tournament in Queens. Last year, more than 550,000 Honey Deuce drinks were served and, at $23 a pop, that’s about $13 million during the two-week tournament.

The drink has become a status symbol, with pop superstar Taylor Swift becoming a huge fan.

“It’s definitely become a thing in New York,” Ally Golden, a digital marketing manager who lives in Manhattan, told the New York Times. “People want to post that they’re there, post their Honey Deuce on Instagram.”

The Honey Deuce has become New York’s version of the Pimm’s Cup, served at tony Wimbledon in London since the 1970s, and the mint julep, famously associated with the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Ky. 

Turlock Fruit Company was founded in 1918 by Smith’s grandfather, James “Cantaloupe” Smith.

“My grandfather was a pioneer in shipping melons to the east coast by rail car,” said Smith. “They would load the melons into the car and then pour ice over the top. They had fans blowing in the rail car, and as the ice would melt, the fans would keep the water cool.

“They didn’t have refrigerated cars in those days, so they did the best they could and devised a rudimentary type of system.”

In 1960, Cantaloupe Smith was succeeded as president by his son, Don Smith, who passed away in July at the age of 95. Don Smith ran the company with his brother-in-law, Bill Palmer, who passed away in 1994.

“My dad wasn’t as involved in the business as he was 20 years ago,” said Smith, who’s been involved with the family business since he graduated from University of the Pacific in 1976. “But he was still involved with the daily operations right up until he died.”

Today, Smith is assisted in running the company by his son, Alec Smith, and son-in-law, Neill Callis.

“We’ve had a great 100-year run,” said Smith. “Hopefully, we’ve got another 100 to go.”

If tennis fans at the U.S. Open have any say, they just might.

To make a Honey Deuce, you’ll need three ounces of lemonade (not lemon juice), one and a half ounces of vodka (the U.S. Open uses Grey Goose), half an ounce of raspberry liqueur (the U.S. Open uses Chambord), and three King of the West honeydew melon balls.

You can still get the official melon of the U.S. Open at Turlock Fruit Company’s fruit stand, which is set up in the parking lot of the plant located at 500 S. Tully Road.

“The fruit stand will be open for about another week,” said Smith. “It usually stays open until about mid-September.”