Article
It's remarkable that a libation became so loved, so fast—Pimm’s Cups and Mint Juleps, after all, have centuries-old origins. The Honey Deuce celebrates its mere 15th anniversary this year.
It all started with the honeydew melons. In 2006, U.S. Open sponsor Grey Goose asked Nick Mautone, a successful restaurateur who had been managing partner at Gramercy Tavern, to create a vodka drink for the annual Grand Slam tournament. It was a challenging, creative honor. The cocktail had to stand out but also be straightforward: the Open’s large crowds mean bartenders can’t spend a lot of time crafting. (“You had to minimize the prep work,” Mautone says.) It had to be refreshing, considering the heat of New York in early September, yet had to also complement the ball park-esque cuisine from concessions. It also had to be, well, universally delicious, since hundreds and thousands of people attend the Open per year.
Mautone constantly mulled it all over that summer, turning his Hamptons house into a test kitchen of sorts. One failed version included rosemary syrup, another muddled lemons. But one afternoon, during a trip to a Shinnecock Farmers market, a carton of mini spherical honeydew melons caught his eye. “I thought. . . those look exactly like iridescent tennis balls.”
During its debut season, the Honey Deuce smashed previous cocktail service records. But it was the year following where Mautone realized the impact it had. He and his wife invited a few guests over for dinner. A tennis match was on in the background. Suddenly, a guest started going on and on about the delicious “honeydew drink” she had when she attended last year. “She had no idea I invented it,” Mautone says. “And that happens every year—every time the U.S. Open comes around, I just keep hearing about the drink.”
Why does he think it's so successful? “I’m going to freely admit the mini honeydew melons that look like tennis balls capture the eye and therefore, the imagination. It’s visually a fun thing to drink at a tennis match,” Mautone says.
But it’s not just this literal and metaphorical low-hanging fruit: Mautone took great care to ensure a refreshing flavor profile of “tart and fruity.” “You get the fruit from the raspberry liqueur. You get the tartness from the lemonade and you get the clean flavors of the Grey Goose. It's balanced, is what it really comes down to,” he says. “It goes extremely well with whatever food you’re having on a hot day.”
As the U.S. Open starts today, so does the endless flow of Honey Deuces. Even if you can’t make the tournament in person, you can sip while you watch at home. We included a recipe to the Honey Deuce, below.
Honey Deuce
Ingredients:
1.25 oz Grey Goose vodka
3.0 oz Fresh Lemonade
0.5 oz Raspberry Liqueur
Garnish: honeydew melon ball skewer
Directions:
Chill glass by placing in refrigerator/ freezer or by filling with ice water for 5 minutes.
Remove glass from refrigerator/freezer, and fill with ice. Measure and add vodka.
Top with measured amount of fresh lemonade.
Measure and add raspberry liqueur.
Garnish with skewer of 1 or multiple frozen honeydew melon balls (note: place honeydew melon in freezer beforehand, then, to create melon balls, use melon baller).
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About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.