On a special segment for CTV’s The Social, we’re honouring the start of Wimbledon tournament and creating Tennis-Inspired Cocktails. As someone that is new to the Tennis Sport, I love it so much and fell in love with this concept even more. I’ll be creating my own version of the Honey Deuce, a riff on the Pimms Cup that recognizes the clay courts, plus so much more! Find all the Tennis-Inspired Cocktail Recipes below.
If you want to watch this LIVE SEGMENT from CTV’s The Social, make sure follow the link attached.
The Honey Deuce
There’s a few obvious reasons why the Honey Deuce is being featured today. From the picture alone, you want this cocktail. It’s bright, fresh and the cute melon balls as a garnish ties the whole theme together for the perfect Tennis-Inspired Cocktail. Big celebrity names have been photographed sipping on this viral cocktail. Plus it’s insanely simple to put together. With that said, no Honey Deuce is truly the same, and when looking at this recipe, keep an open mind and ADJUST TO YOUR PREFERENCE.
The original recipe combines Vodka (Grey Goose), Lemonade and Raspberry Liqueur. With this recipe only having 3 ingredients, it can drastically change the taste of the cocktail. Let’s start off with the obvious Lemonade. No lemonade is the same. Some very tart, very sweet or hit that sweet spot in the middle (but that’s hard to find and again up to preference). Next, there’s the Raspberry Liqueur. To be honest, I don’t love a ton of the Raspberry Liqueur options here in Ontario. Great thing about Raspberry though is that it’s a flavour that can easily be made into a syrup, which is what I’ve done here. With this recipe only being 3 ingredients, if you’re not using the exact same lemonade, exact same raspberry liqueur, in the right balance, it won’t taste the same. That’s why I can’t stress this enough, be flexible and open to adjust.
The Vodka I’m using here is the Alberta Pure Vodka — Vodka is one of those spirits that you’re not getting DRASTICALLY different tasting notes against one another. So whether you choose to go premium or for value, you can win in terms of taste with Vodka. Plus I love that I’m supporting something Canadian. Lemonade was from Black River Lemonade (too sweet in my opinion, but it’s what I’m working with), and the recipe below will outline how to recreate the Raspberry Syrup I made for this recipe.
Honey Deuce
This is Liquid Culture's edition of the Honey Deuce, which omits the Raspberry Liqueur and introduces a Syrup instead.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Vodka Alberta Pure Vodka used here
- 2 oz Lemonade Black River Lemonade Used here
- 0.5 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1/3 oz Raspberry Syrup
- 3 Melon Balls for Garnish
Instructions
-
In a Collins Glass, fill your glass with ice and add in all your ingredients.
-
Skewer the 3 Melon balls and garnish on top. Stir to combine.
Recipe Notes
To make the Raspberry Syrup, in a small saucer, combine 1 cup of fresh raspberries with 0.5 cup Water and 0.5 cup Granulated Sugar. Stir and let this come to a boil, reduce the temperature to a simmer for 5 minutes before straining. Let this syrup come to room temperature before storing into the fridge. Can last up to a week.
As mentioned above, adjust to your preference! I had to throw in fresh lemon because I found the Black River Lemonade just too sweet. Have Lemon and Sugar on hand to make sure your Honey Deuce lands at your next get-together!
The Clay Courts (Pimm’s Cup Inspired Cocktail)
The Pimm’s Cup is a quintessential Cocktail of Wimbledon. Putting together this Tennis-Inspired Cocktails segment, it demands that this classic is in the mix, but there’s a slight twist to it. I also wanted to honour the iconic Clay Courts to the game, and create a beverage that gave itself the look of the Clay Courts. That’s why Carrot Juice comes into the mix and we have a herbaceous, earthy cocktail that is still fruit-forward and fresh! Maybe I can become famous for this cocktail, because it truly is that wonderfil.
The Clay Cup
This Pimm's Cup inspired cocktail uses Carrot Juice to bring the Clay Courts into a glass.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz Pimms
- 1 oz Carrot Juice Lakewood Carrot Juice used here
- 1 oz Lemonade
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 1.5 oz Ginger Beer
- 6 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 3 Carrot Ribbon lined along glass
- 1 Orange Wheel Slice
- 2 Lemon Wheel Slices
- 1 large Mint Sprig
Instructions
-
Line your Collins or Hurricane Glass with Carrot Ribbons.
-
Add in your Pimms, lemonade, bitters and lemon juice and layer ice and citrus wheels between each other, until you reach the top of your glass.
-
Top with Ginger Beer and garnish with Mint Sprig.
Strawberry Basil Smash Cocktail
Ever heard of the term SMASH in Tennis? Well, it refers to a powerful shot by a serve, which really channels the energy of this drink. A smash cocktail is already a thing, made with Gin, Basil, lots of times Blackberry. With the concept of these Tennis-Inspired Cocktails, we’re throwing in Strawberries to the mix and making this drink a bit more powerful with some Whisky! Specifically Gibson’s Finest Sterling Whisky, thanks to its toasted grain, dried fruit and caramel notes. Plus it’s ease towards whisky-forward cocktails. This is a refreshing gem that you will be running back to time and time again. Happy Sipping!
Match Point Smash
The classic Smash cocktail gets a Tennis Influence with this Strawberry, Basil Smash.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2 oz Whisky Gibson’s Sterling Canadian Whisky used here
- 0.75 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse
- 0.5 oz Rich Simple Syrup 2:1
- 4 Basil leaves 1 for Garnish
- 2 Strawberries halved
- 4 Mint Leaves 1 for Garnish
Instructions
-
In a shaker, lightly muddle basil, strawberries and mint, add the sugar, lime and whisky. Add in a handful of regular ice, and shake well.
-
Dump all the contents into your rocks glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with Basil Garnish.
Watermelon Slice
Last, but certainly not least, we have the tennis-inspired cocktail that all started with the Watermelon Slice. This cocktail got a lot of attention on it, and the price tag had a lot to do with it. Made with Moet Champagne, with a signature cup and ingredients, if purchased you were looking at a $39 cocktail per drink. I get it. It’s a lot. But I also get the price as well (Real Champagne isn’t cheap friends, or fresh fruit). So I came up with my own version, that uses Gin (particularly one of my favourites – The Botanist Gin), pineapple to bring that yellow colour to the glass, while making it approachable and affordable. Shout out to Kew Vineyards in Niagara that are pouring some of my favourite Sparkling wines from the region. I topped up the mix with this as well. Cheers and Drink Responsibly!
The Sweet Spot
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 0.5 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Lime Cordial
- 0.5 oz Dillon’s Elderflower Liqueur
- 2 oz Sparkling Wine / Champagne
- 1 Watermelon Slice for garnish
Instructions
-
Fill your Goblet or Wine Glass with ice.
-
In a shaker, place your ice and combine all the ingredients except Sparkling Wine and Watermelon Slice. Give this a shake.
-
Strain over your fresh ice in the Goblet glass and tip with sparkling wine. Garnish with Watermelon Slice.
Want to watch some of my other TV Segments? Click HERE for all the magic .
